Chennai, Oct 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA ECR P. Saravanan, also known as P. Saravana Murthy, has moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash a criminal case registered against him last year over the alleged erection of unauthorised banners in Chennai.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan, who hears cases involving Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, on Monday allowed the Sholinganallur legislator’s application seeking exemption from producing the original copy of the First Information Report.
The judge also directed the High Court Registry to number his main petition seeking quashing of the FIR. The order concerns a procedural application accompanying the legislator’s petition.
The court has not yet decided whether the FIR should be quashed, and Monday’s direction allows the main petition to be numbered for further consideration.
The case dates back to November 30, 2025, when the Neelankarai police registered an FIR on their own initiative after a police officer allegedly noticed unauthorised hoardings during a routine patrol in the area.
According to the FIR, Sub-Inspector G. Prabhakaran spotted the hoardings in a public space near a private marriage hall on K.K. Road. He subsequently conducted inquiries to establish who had put them up and whether the necessary civic permission had been obtained.
The police alleged that Saravanan and another TVK office-bearer, identified as Ravi, were responsible for erecting the hoardings. Their inquiries reportedly indicated that the banners had been installed without permission from the Greater Chennai Corporation.
Based on those findings, the Sub-Inspector registered the case suo motu, naming the legislator and the party functionary in connection with the alleged violation.
The allegations recorded in the FIR form the basis of the criminal proceedings that Saravanan now wants the court to set aside. Police invoked Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959.
The provision carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both. Saravanan has sought judicial intervention to bring the proceedings arising from the FIR to an end.
With the application concerning production of the original FIR allowed, the Registry has been instructed to process and number the substantive quash petition. The question of whether the case warrants quashing will arise when the court considers the main petition on its merits in due course.
Source: IANS
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