Nagpur: As the Maharashtra Legislature’s Winter Session in Nagpur concludes on Saturday, one glaring issue remains the rampant display of illegal hoardings by political workers to welcome their senior leaders.
This is despite the Bombay High Court issuing contempt notices on Thursday, December 19, 2024, to all political parties in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the increasing number of illegal hoardings and banners featuring politicians and political parties across the state.
Recently, a man riding a two-wheeler was severely injured when an illegal political hoarding fell on him near the Kamptee Road double-decker flyover. In the past, several innocent lives were lost due to the collapse of illegal hoardings, including tragic incidents in Mumbai. Despite warnings from the High Court, political workers seem undeterred in their efforts to please their leaders.
In addition to the Vidhan Bhavan area, illegal hoardings have been erected throughout the city, including Civil Lines, MLA hostels, and the airport. Yet, the authorities in Nagpur have taken no action, seemingly waiting for another untoward incident to occur.
Recently, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar heard the petition for the second consecutive day. The bench observed:
“The court had in its earlier orders taken on record the undertakings given by political parties. However, it appears that these political parties have not complied with the same. We issue notices requiring them to show cause as to why appropriate action for defiance of the 2017 judgment should not be taken under the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act. Let the political parties show cause why contempt action should not be initiated against them.”
In 2017, political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had submitted undertakings agreeing not to encourage the display of unauthorized hoardings, banners, or posters. They had also issued circulars directing their members and supporters not to erect such structures. However, the ground reality tells a different story.
