Police dept, BBMP should coordinate better to curb illegal banners: Karnataka High Court

Bengaluru: Better coordination is necessary between the Police Department and BBMP officials to prevent and monitor illegal flexes/banners, the Karnataka High Court has observed.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind said this while directing both the commissioner of police, Bengaluru City, and the Chief Commissioner, BBMP, to file fresh affidavits before August 12.

On July 12, the court had taken suo motu cognizance to register another PIL after observing that despite orders of the court, the activity of putting up illegal hoardings was rampant. The court had also issued showcause notices to both the chiefs of the city police and the BBMP to explain as to why the proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act should not be initiated against them.

On July 26, the court noted that the BBMP commissioner had not cared or responded to the directions to explain the showcause. The affidavit filed by the assistant commissioner, with information about the action taken so far, does not reflect a satisfactory stand, the court said, asking the chief commissioner to file his own affidavit.

"In the absence of satisfactory affidavits as above, the court will have to become stern. It is to be noted, at this stage, that since the affidavit reflects that 8,362 hoardings were removed, it implies that, despite the restraint directions issued by the court in the earlier public interest petitions, the court will consider in the future hearing as to whether the contempt is committed on part of the commissioner of the corporation, which has failed to prevent putting up of the illegal hoardings and further also that whether the costs as already directed by the court in the order dated 02.08.2023 could not be imposed,” the bench said.

The court further said, “...in order to give an opportunity to the commissioner to file his affidavit as above, the authorities shall continue to ensure that the hoardings are not put up illegally and in the manner dangerous to the traffic, more particularly when in the ongoing season of the monsoon, the hoardings and flexes put up on the poles and elsewhere become prone to pose greater danger to the life of the passersby, pedestrians and general traffic.”