HC disapproves of Bar election posters on district court walls

The "defacement" of Tis Hazari court complex building walls by posters put up by advocates and vendors prior to the upcoming Bar elections there has earned the Delhi High Court's disapproval which directed the district and sessions judge to ensure removal of the posters.
A similar direction was issued by a bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar to the election committee set up by the Delhi Bar Association (DBA) to supervise the Bar polls to be held on January 20.
The court said that on February 24 last year it was agreed by everyone that this kind of activity should not happen and it was the responsibility of DBA to ensure no vendor or election candidate puts up a poster in the buildings of the court complexes.

The bench said on that date the Bar Association was asked to incorporate an election rule indicating that if any candidate puts up a poster on the walls of the court complex he would be disqualified.
"Unfortunately, such a rule has not yet been incorporated in the election rules of DBA," the court said which noted that "defacement of buildings of the court complex by pasting posters has attained rampant proportion".
The bench also quipped how the lawyers have so much money after demonetisation, when it was informed by the Delhi government that posters and huge hoardings have also been put up on Ring Road.

"With regard to vendors defacing the wall, the district and sessions judge shall take immediate action for having them removed. Action may be taken under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act," the court said and listed the matter for hearing on January 18.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by a journalist, Pankaj Yadav seeking directions to improve the civic amenities in trial court complexes, including at Tis Hazari, as well as making them disabled-friendly.