Supreme Court Restricts Defacement of Hillocks, Public Places with Political Slogans

The Supreme court on Friday said that hillocks, mountains and other public buildings could not be defaced with political slogans and images of their political leaders by various political parties as it sought response from Tamil Nadu government on a plea by NGO In Defence of Environment and Animals.

Observing that the public places including hillocks and mountains can't be defaced during electioneering, the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked the Tamil Nadu government to state the steps taken by it to curb the defacement of public places.

The court order came on a plea by 'In Defence of Environment and Animals' represented by its managing trustee Elephant Rajendran who has moved the top court against the Madras High Court verdict rejecting his plea.

Calling halt to the defacement of natural environment including mountains, hillocks and other public buildings by covering them with the slogans of political parties, images of leaders and their messages, CJI Gogoi said, "You cannot allow the defacement of the entire environment with political slogans, pictures of politicians. This has to stop now."

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The petitioner NGO has said the defacement was not limited to any particular place but could be seen on bridges, highways, central medians of roads, hills, including rocks.

Rajendran told the court that during his journey from Madurai High Court to Chennai passing through Trichy and Chengalpet, he saw big advertisements, election graffiti and religious slogans painted on the roadside mountain hills and rocks. (IANS)