Parties face action for violating HC orders

The chart [submitted by us] does not reflect violations done by political parties nor the name of the party or the location, hence the corporations should be directed to submit an exhaustive list. UDAY WARUNJIKAR, advocate for petitioner Suswarajya Foundation

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) has indicated it will issue contempt proceedings against some of the political parties for not complying with earlier court orders regarding illegal banners and posters after it was informed by a petitioner that they were blatantly violating orders. The court may initiate contempt proceedings on February 25, the date by which it has asked the parties and all corporations in the state submit their replies on the issue.

The petitioner said the parties in question had not given any undertaking like some other parties to refrain from putting up illegal banners and hoardings.

The bench of justices AS Oka and AS Gadkari also directed all the corporations in the state to submit the list of violations along with the name and location of violators so that contempt action can be issued against the violators, most of who are political parties against whom no first information report (FIR) has been registered.

The court has asked the political parties and corporations to submit their replies by February 25, failing which it said it will initiate contempt proceedings.

When the public interest litigation (PIL) of Suswarajya Foundation came up for hearing, advocate Uday Warunjikar submitted a chart that consisted of corporation-wise list of violations by political parties. “The list consists of only those violations against which FIRS have been registered under the Defacement of Property Act,” submitted Warunjikar.

In response to the chart, the advocate for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said three party workers who were found guilty of violating the court orders had been identified and suspended.

Advocate Atul Damle, counsel for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while responding to a query by the bench on whether the top leaders of the party had appealed to grassroots workers and party members to desist from putting up illegal hoardings and banners, said they had done so. But he said they needed a day to put it on affidavit, which the court allowed.