DMK plea to initiate contempt proceedings against DGP, Chief Secretary

Chennai: A DMK MLA has approached the Madras high court to initiate contempt proceedings against Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and DGP for willfully disobeying the orders of the court relating to removal of illegal arches, hoardings and banners erected on public roads and streets in connection with the centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran in Coimbatore. The contempt petition filed by DMK MLA from Singanallur assembly constituency N.Karthick is likely to come up for hearing on December 11.

On a petition from him, the First Bench headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee had on November 30 held that the erection of arches, placards, and display boards, banners with poles etc abutting into public streets and pavements, which obstruct free and safe movement of traffic or free and safe movement of pedestrians or obstructs visibility of drivers was patently illegal. 

The bench had directed the authorities to remove all the illegal arches, hoardings banners, etc erected on public roads and streets in connection with former Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran centenary celebrations in Coimbatore. Claiming that even after the orders of the court was informed to the authorities, they failed to remove the banners and arches and initiate appropriate action against the offenders, Karthick filed the present contempt petition.

 He said, “The government being a role model in implementing the orders of the court ought to have strictly complied with the directions and observations made by the high court. But, there is a total deliberate failure in complying with the order of this court and the same amounts to contempt of court”. Both the officials who granted the alleged permits to erect the banners in contravention to the directions of this court and the persons who erected the same in violation of the order of the court shall be liable to be punished under the provisions of the contempt of court Act, he added.