Spread awareness to prevent defacement of properties: Delhi HC to govt

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and other authorities to spread awareness about the penalties imposed for defacing properties in the national Capital after the "failure" to curb defacement.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said that people should be made aware of the penal provisions for defacement by the means of jingles, advertisements in media, films at Metro stations.

"Unless the public is educated, they would not stop," the bench said while advising the government, civic bodies and other authorities to initiate awareness campaigns on the matter.

"Delhi is yours. You need to protect it. You will have to run awareness campaigns through various modes, including the print, electronic and social media. You can use animation films, jingles etc which can be played at metro stations as well as in the media. Posters can be displayed at public places," it remarked.

The court's observation came while hearing a PIL filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda seeking a ban on defacement of public properties allegedly by the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) poll candidates.

During the proceedings, the court also expressed concerns on the defacement by the lawyers in various parts of the city during the elections of the bar association. It asked Kirti Uppal, president of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) to look into the matter.

The court also asked Rahul Mehra, counsel for the Delhi Police, to take steps to deal with the issue.

Delhi Metro, Delhi University and Manchanda had filed their affidavits stating the guidelines. However, the court asked them to give a concrete set of guidelines after discussion with all the stakeholders so that they can be later manifested in the order.

It also issued notices to 22 students, barring Rocky Tuseer, seeking a reply as to why no punitive actions be taken against them for their failure to participate in the cleanliness drive and also be a part of the meetings.

The next date of hearing is February 20.