The Madras High Court has banned the use of photos of living persons on banners, hoardings in the state, reported The New Indian Express. This comes after a Chennai resident, B Thirulochana Kumari, filed a petition after the path to her house got blocked by political party flags and banners.
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“In order to maintain a clean atmosphere in the state, and to avoid unnecessary drawings on the walls of buildings/residential places, this court directs the chief secretary to ensure that the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959 is complied with,” Justice S Vidyanathan said in the order, according to The Times of India.
This ban applies to hoardings and banners that have been granted permission by the authorities concerned. The HC bench said that the onus is now on the authorities to make sure that the banners do not contain photos of living persons. Even the photo of the person sponsoring the cut-out is not admissible.
Tamil film fans usually erect huge hoardings and cut-outs of their favourite stars ahead of their movie release. It remains to be seen whether the order will affect this practice.