File affidavit on nod given to digital banners last year: Madras High Court

“An affidavit be filed within three weeks. List the matter for compliance on February 12”, said a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana.

Originally, a vacation bench had on December 30 dismissed two PILS from Satta Panchayat Iyakkam and social activist 'Traffic’ Ramaswamy, challenging AIADMK’s general council and

executive committee meeting at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMCRI) at Tiruvanmiyur on December 31.

Pointing out that this issue had been raised in another petition pending before the First Bench, the vacation bench directed the advocate general to furnish details about the applications made for erecting hoardings, their sizes, remittances made and status of the applications. He should also

clarify whether the AIADMK party had obtained permission from the landlord for erecting the hoardings and banners, the Bench had said.

Accordingly, copies of applications, receipts and permission granted were submitted by the authorities. The Chennai Collector also filed a report stating that Saidapet MLA G Senthamizhan (60 + 50 banners), Special PA to Revenue Minister, M. Swaminathan (100 banners), S. R. Vijayakumar (40), MP, Chennai Central and M. K. Ashok (100) and Velachery MLA were granted permission. No application had been received for erecting digital banners in residential premises and none of the applicants have erected hoardings on December 31, she added.

After perusing the report and an affidavit, the Bench said that the affidavit filed showed that permission was granted to five persons for 60, 100, 40, 100 and 50 hoardings. The amount remitted at '250 per digital banners in the first case was on December 28. While in all other cases it was December 30.

Thus, more or less except in the first case, permission had been granted on the same date on which the application was made and the amount deposited the same day.