SC questions TN govt on defacement of natural resources

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the Tamil Nadu govt as how it allowed defacement of natural resources like mountains and hillocks with slogans of political parties and pictures of politicians.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered the state government counsel to tell within two weeks as to what steps were taken to remove such defacement.

"We will not allow the defacement of public places and properties with advertisement and slogans of political parties," the bench, also comprising justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, said.

A charitable trust 'In Defence of Environment and Animals' raised questions over such advertisement having been put over hills and other resources.

The court had on January 11 issued a notice to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on a plea also seeking to restrain political parties from erecting digital banners on roadside across the state.

The plea sought preventing encroachments via religious symbols and political graffiti, advertisements by private parties on natural resources like mountains, hills, hillocks, avenue trees and on national and state highways.