Madras High Court Bans Flexes and Hoardings that have Portrait of Living Personality

The Tamil Nadu political scenario has suffered a massive blow after the Madras High Court ordered a ban on the flexes and hoardings which display the pictures and portraits of living personalities.

Citing the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959, the court on Tuesday has asked the government to ensure that “photos or pictures of such persons who are alive shall not be depicted by way of those banners, flex boards, sign-boards”.

The Act gives a provision” to prevent 'disfigurement by objectionable or unauthorized advertisements of places open to public view in the [State of Tamil Nadu]”.

The High Court has issued directions to the state's top official, the chief secretary, to check "unnecessary drawings on walls" and ensure a “clean atmosphere” across the state while hearing a private petition.

“If at all any permission is given by the authority concerned for erecting banners, flex boards, sign-boards, etc., the authority concerned shall ensure that photographs/pictures of such persons who are alive, shall not be depicted by way of those banners, flex boards, sign-boards, etc,” the order read.

Justice V Vaidyanathan delivered the order when the petitioner B Thirulochana Kumari had asked the court to direct the Chennai municipal commissioner to remove a banner and flag which was put up in front of her house in Arumbakkam area of the city by her tenant.

"Whoever objects to such removal of party flag or banner, etc., the name and address of such person shall be furnished to the police, so that the police shall register a case against such person," the judge said.

Justice S Vaidyanathan also urged the civic body and the police to do so at the earliest and make sure these do not pop up again.

Meanwhile, the order did not explain why the court felt the need to ban images of living people.

The order, however, will put an end to the giant banners and cut-outs of politicians and film stars which are a common sight in every nook and corner of the state.

It is a very common thing in Tamil Nadu that whenever a political leader makes some announcements or big hero’s film gets released, the ardent fans and followers all over the state erect banners and posters. They even perform “Pal abhishekam” on these posters which symbolically represents bathing the stars with milk.

The public sphere of Tamil Nadu is deeply influenced by the culture of exhibitionism by film stars and politicians like nowhere in India. Main stars of Tamil industry and their vast fan clubs put hoardings of them which in turn frame the public debates and discourses of the state. Posters, flex, and notices featuring stars such as Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Shivaji Ganeshan, MG Ramachandran and Vijay make up the everyday scenes of an ordinary Tamilian. Renowned scholars such as M.S.S. Pandian pointed out how this star culture has its own connections with the once-prominent Dravidian movement.

The anti-Hindi anti-Brahmanical Dravidian movement gave birth to the new cultural artefacts including radical anti-Aryan films. Politicians like Karunanidhi penned films which in turn produced new political discourses and influenced the masses. The public sphere of the state became so vibrant with frequent cries for pure “Tamilization” of everything that existed that time. Huge hoardings and posters of stars and politicians asking the masses to thrash everything Aryan had an important role in shaping the political culture of that time. The people took everything on display on its face value and took part in the ongoing protests. Though the very democratic, lumpen and dynamic nature of this political culture is long gone, posters and hoardings still have its own say in Tamil Nadu. The recent Jallikkattu protests show how it can still work as an effective medium to communicate and mobilise the masses. Lakhs of people poured onto streets to uphold their said cultural heritage and defend their so-called fundamental rights even though all Constitutional bodies were against it.

The court ban is expected to impact arrangements of MGR centenary celebration in Thiruchirapalli which is already packed with the hoardings of E Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam. The upcoming film releases also expect to face “dullness”.