Karnataka High Court restores ban on advertisements in 24 hours

BENGALURU: Open door advertisements, including hoardings and flexes, will remain outlawed in Bengaluru for some more time.
The ban on advertisements that was lifted on Wednesday by the single-bench of Karnataka high court was restored on Thursday — within 24 hours — by a division bench.

The division bench comprising acting chief justice L Narayana Swamy and justice PS Dinesh Kumar passed an order staying Wednesday’s interim order, which had quashed the August 6, 2018 BBMP resolution banning ads for one year.

The bench pointed out that petitioners before the single bench had mainly sought quashing of the August 6, 2018 resolution. Wednesday’s interim order quashing the said resolution amounted to final disposal of the petitions, it said.

Earlier, BBMP counsel submitted that Wednesday’s interim order amounted to granting final relief itself, and it needs to be interfered with. “When an interim order is passed, it should always be ancillary to the main matter. Quashing the resolution amounts to disposal of the main issue,” BBMP counsel argued.

The BBMP has claimed that advertisers are not affected by the resolution and they have no existing legal rights as adjudication orders have already been passed in their matters.

On Wednesday, the single bench had said that till the new bylaws are formed, the petitioners should be allowed to enjoy the rights granted by the existing 2006 bylaws.