Kochi: Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the state to stop private parties from erecting new hoardings and advertisement boards along the highways. The court also asked the state government to produce the policy banning hoardings along the national highways within three weeks.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A. M. Shaffique issued the order on a public interest litigation seeking removal of flex boards, hoardings and advertisement boards.
The chief secretary had passed an order to remove all hoardings which cannot withstand a wind speed of not less than 100 km per hour. During the course of arguments, the government pleader submitted that the order was kept in abeyance later since the government was finalising a policy.
The court had earlier held that the illegal flex boards, hoardings and advertisements should be removed. According to the petitioner, installation of hoardings and advertisement boards causes distraction to motorists.
Plea to stop CIC appointment rejected
Kerala High Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the appointment of Siby Mathews as the chief information commissioner (CIC). A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A. M. Shaffique dismissed a PIL filed by Gopinath V. of Manjeri.
"No materials are available to indicate that the government or any other authority has taken any disciplinary action against him. When the committee constituted under the RTI Act has recommended the name of Siby Mathews, we do not think that materials now available would justify court's interference," the court observed.
The petitioner argued that Mathews was not eligible and competent to be appointed as the CIC. Siby Mathews, an IPS cadre officer, was in charge of various agencies in the state and had involved in the investigation of several crimes.
The petitioner alleged that Siby had unnecessarily involved in helping the accused in a crime related to corruption in Malabar Cements.
