The Madras High Court on Wednesday, February 16, directed the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission officials to remove all the posters pasted on walls in Chennai by the candidates contesting the urban local body elections. "Any violation of the order would be dealt with contempt of court proceedings," a bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy order said, adding that no one should be allowed to disfigure the city.

It also directed the Greater Chennai Corporation to recover the cost incurred for removing each poster from the walls. The bench also said that if the posters were pasted after permission from the owners of the properties, appropriate permission was necessary from the authorities concerned too.

The court passed the order while disposing of a plea moved by P Arumugam of the AIADMK who is contesting from ward 117 of the Chennai Corporation and had complained that his DMK opponent was causing a hindrance to his campaign.

Arumugam also told the court, through his counsel, that the DMK candidate had pasted his posters over his, thus making sure that his posters are not being seen by the voters.

The petitioner produced pictures to support his claim. He also informed the court that he wanted the court to direct the State Election Commission to provide uninterrupted and additional police force for the ward.

The bench took the pictures produced as proof and asked the authorities including the State Election Commission and the Greater Chennai Corporation officials to prosecute the violators, including petitioner Arumugam, for pasting posters on the walls.

Polls were announced last month by the TN State Election Commission for a total of 12,838 ward member posts in 649 urban civic bodies. The 649 urban local bodies are 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats. 

The urban polls are scheduled to be held on February 19 and campaign is set to end on February 17 at 6 PM. Counting of votes would commence on February 22 in 268 centres.