The Kerala High Court has given the secretaries of all local bodies in the state a two-week deadline to ensure that all unauthorized hoardings, banners, flags, garlands and other materials put up by political parties and other entities are removed from public spaces.
Besides, necessary action must be initiated against those who installed them, a bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran said on Thursday, directing the State Election Commission and District Election Officers to closely monitor the areas under their command and remove such materials. A report in this regard should be submitted to the court after the completion of the trial. The issue of recovery of fines from secretaries of local bodies will be dealt with only after the expiry of the deadline, the court said in the submitted review motion.
The petitioner alleged that the secretaries were very lax as they believe that no action will be taken against them despite earlier court orders on the matter. The situation would not change unless appropriate steps are taken to hold them personally accountable for their refusal to remove unauthorized devices and collect fines from them, he added.
The court said this was confirmed by Harish Vasudevan, amicus curiae, who said that there are still banners, hoardings, flags and garlands of political parties and other entities on many railings, footpaths and allied infrastructure. A senior government official said the government has issued instructions to local body secretaries to act on the directions of the earlier court judgement.
The matter was posted for hearing on December 3.
Published – 20 Nov 2025 19:47 IST
