The Madras High Court today directed the state goverment to recover damages from parties responsible for disfigurement of natural locations as well as public streets/walls.
The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, directed government pleader S T S Moorthy to take instructions and also to submit a list of registered and recognized political parties to it and posted the matter for further hearing to September 9.
A PIL has been filed by 'Defense of Environment and Animals' which sought a direction to authorities concerned to prevent encroachments by anybody by means of advertisements on natural resources like mountain and hillocks.
On the report filed by revenue authorities, the bench said "we are not satisfied with the report submitted to us. We do believe that the political parties must accept the social responsibility to ensure that disfigurement of natural locations as well as public street/walls must be prevented through their action to desist from doing so."
Referring to the jobs carried out by government to clear the disfigurement, it said government should not perform the "job of defacement without first collecting material as to who has carried out the defacement and to what extent in order to enable proper recovery to be made from the offending party."
The bench said it was difficult for the court to find time to go through reports which may be submitted from different districts by different departments on the matter.
"We are of the view that there is a possibility of entrusting the work to a committee presided over by a retired judge to scrutinize the reports and ensure follow-up as necessary.
