Against the practice of political parties to set up flagpoles in public places, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered the state government to inform them of the measures being taken to remove these unauthorized poles.
Justice Devan Ramachandran issued instructions on a petition from Mannam Sugar Mills Cooperative Ltd, Pandalam, aimed at removing the flagpoles placed outside the factory gates by various unions.
The court found that there were flagpoles in every corner of the state that had even caused public order problems, so the government should take action against this practice.
The court said it did not understand the authority under which such masts are erected on roadsides and in public places. In fact, the situation in the state is such that any organization can erect masts in public places.
When a common man raises a flagpole, action is taken against the person; However, when established institutions and political organizations do so, nothing is done about it. The court found that the construction of masts in public places violated the land conservancy law.
“If some people erect a post on the roadside, then there’s political allegiance attached to it. If someone asks them to shift it to another place, there are fights, saying someone has removed the flag. They erect flag posts wherever they want to,” the court stated orally. The court-appointed the case officer, the organs of local self-government, as the accused and sent the case to a new hearing on November 1st.
