The High Court on Tuesday directed the government to restrain from painting government/panchayat buildings with colours similar to the ones of flags of political parties or party offices.
The HC directed the Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj Department, to remove the colours painted on the buildings within 10 days and directed the Chief Secretary to furnish a compliance report within two weeks to the court Registrar .
Issuing the orders on writ petitions filed by Muppa Venkateswara Rao, a resident of Pallapadu village in Vatticherukuru mandal, and Angu Ramana, from Vizianagaram district, Chief Justice J.K. Maheswari and Justice Ninana Jayasurya directed the State Election Commission to hold free and fair elections to the local bodies and take appropriate steps without allowing the parties to take any form of evil practices which might influence the voters.
In a significant observation, the court held that it had become a common practice for any political party to paint the buildings of panchayat or others akin to the colours of the party flag, and directed that such practices should stop. It also held that the National Building Code applies to the buildings of Panchayat Raj also as they fall within the purview of local self-government and constructed with government funds.
The court directed that the use of impermissible signs cannot be permitted to be used in future and said such actions might affect the conduct of free and fair elections.
The Chief Justice mentioned that the court had given an interim order on December 13,2019, directing the government not to paint the government buildings with the colours of the flag of a particular political party.
Suitable combination
The court also quashed the Government Memo (No PRR01-PROPPAN (MISC) approving the proposal of the Commissioner of Panchayat Raj to paint gram panchayat buildings with the colours similar to that a party.
The HC also directed the CS to formulate guidelines to specify a suitable colour combination for painting the panchayat/government buildings which should not be similar to the colours of flags and offices of political parties. The TDP has been crying foul over the manner in which some government buildings have been painted in colours similar to that of the flag of the ruling party.
