The Supreme Court of India has declined to entertain a public interest litigation that sought to remove promotional flex boards displayed across Kerala, describing the petition as an attempt aimed more at embarrassing the State government ahead of elections than raising a genuine legal grievance.
A Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, with Justice B.R. Gavai also on the Bench, considered the plea which argued that excessive use of flex banners and hoardings promoting government schemes and activities created visual pollution and might influence voters in the run-up to assembly elections.
However, the Court expressed strong reservations about the timing and motive behind the petition, observing that it appeared to have been filed primarily to put the State government in an awkward position at a politically sensitive time. After hearing arguments, the Bench refused to proceed with the case, making it clear that it was not the proper vehicle for addressing political or administrative dissatisfaction.
The petitioner had drawn attention to the proliferation of banners highlighting developmental initiatives and public programmes, contending these amounted to indirect campaign material favouring the ruling party. The Supreme Court was, however, unwilling to intervene, noting that challenges to public expenditure or governmental publicity measures must be grounded in clear constitutional or statutory violations, and not mere differences of opinion.
By rejecting the plea, the Court underscored the principle that litigation should not be used as a tool to score political points or cause embarrassment to the government during sensitive electoral periods. The Bench did not issue any directions regarding the removal of flex boards or restrict the State’s conduct in publishing information about its schemes.
The post Supreme Court rejects petition challenging flex boards in Kerala, calls it an election-time embarrassment appeared first on India Legal.