HC issues notice to officials on banners

The Madras High Court today ordered issue of notice to the Chennai Collector, Commissioner of Police, and Corporation Commissioner on a contempt petition regarding erection of digital banners praising Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and hoping she would become Prime Minister.
The First Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sathish K Agnihotri and Justice K K Sasidharan, directed counsel for the Corporation of Chennai to get instructions on the contempt petition filed by social activist 'Traffic' Ramaswamy and posted the matter after two weeks.
In his petition, Ramaswamy alleged that in violation of laws and court orders today, more than 100 digital banners were erected by N Raju, president of Anna Thozhil Sangam, Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, praising the Chief Minister and hoping she would become Prime Minister.

The petitioner said the Collector had listed 16 conditions for erecting the banners but none of the conditions were complied with by those who erected it.
The petitioner submitted that permission was granted only to one person to erect the banners, whereas the banners were erected by other persons. He claimed State Ministers Senthil Balaji , K P Munuswamy, K C Veeramani, Damodaran had also erected banners in their names.
He sought a direction from the Court to direct the Commissioner of Corporation to file a status report in respect of the digital banners erected and other details.