Who put up hoardings around the Vidhana Soudha on July 6 this year for an event organised by the State government to observe the 33rd death anniversary of the former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram? This question cropped up before the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said it had not granted permission for putting up those hoardings.
Interestingly, even the government claimed it had not put up the hoardings and had also not authorised any department to put them up.
Following these submissions on behalf of the government and the BBMP, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur questioned how the hoardings carrying the State’s emblem could be put up in the vicinity of the Vidhana Soudha.
The Bench, during an earlier hearing on the public interest litigation petitions related to illegal hoardings, banners, etc, wanted to know how the hoardings were allowed around the Vidhana Soudha after one of the petitioners, referring to the matter, complained that despite the court’s orders the menace of illegal hoardings had not stopped.
BBMP order
Meanwhile, the BBMP informed the Bench that the Commissioner had issued an order on November 13 for removal of illegal hoardings and structures put up for displaying hoardings within 15 days after verifying whether any interim order of the courts were in operation against their removal. The High Court on November 12 directed the BBMP to take action for removing illegal structures put up for displaying hoardings.
It was also pointed out to the Bench that the BBMP had taken steps to move various courts for seeking vacating of stay orders against removal of illegal hoardings or the structures put up for displaying hoardings. A public notice was also issued on November 19 calling upon owners of hoardings to voluntarily remove them by paying outstanding dues, the BBMP said in a statement submitted to the court.
