The Kerala High Court has granted two weeks time to the secretaries of all local bodies in the State to ensure that all unauthorised boards, banners, flags, festoons and other materials put up by political parties and other entities are removed from public spaces.
In addition, necessary action must be initiated against those who installed them, a Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran said on Thursday and directed the State Election Commission and District Election Officers to scrupulously monitor the areas within their command and remove such materials. A report in this regard ought to be filed before the court after the process is complete. The question of recovering fines from the secretaries of the local bodies will be considered after the deadline is over, the court said in a review petition filed in this regard.
The petitioner alleged that the secretaries were very lax, because they feel no action would be taken against them, despite earlier court orders pertaining to the issue. The situation would not change unless appropriate steps are taken to hold them personally responsible for their refusal to remove the unauthorised installations and to collect fines from them, he added.
The court said that this has been affirmed by Harish Vasudevan, the amicus curiae, who said that many handrails, pedestrian paths, and allied infrastructure still have banners, boards, flags and festoons of political parties and other entities. Senior government pleader submitted that the government had issued instructions to the secretaries of the local bodies to act as per the directions of the earlier court judgment.
The matter has been posted for hearing on December 3.
Published – November 20, 2025 07:47 pm IST
