22 FIRs registered against people raising illegal flags, banners: BMC to HC | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that it sent 194 letters to the police in the first 45 days of this year regarding illegal flags and hoardings. Based on this, 22 FIRs were registered. The civic body further told the court that it has launched 125 prosecutions against illegal flags and hoardings in the city.

This was in response to the court asking BMC to file an affidavit disclosing how it takes cognizance of and handles complaints about flags raised illegally in public places.

BMC’s affidavit outlined that citizens could lodge complaints against illegal flags and hoardings through various means, such as, a X (formerly Twitter) handle dedicated to their specific ward, the BMC web portal, the toll-free 1916 number, or by messaging the concerned officers on WhatsApp. BMC has an officer in each of its 24 wards, who conducts a morning and an evening drive in their respective wards and maintains a register of complaints received through various channels.

The court query came in a plea by Haresh Gaglani, a Mumbai resident, who approached the court against BMC’s inaction for more than a year over five flags that were raised illegally in his housing society in November 2023.

A division bench of justice Revati Mohite-Dere and Justice Dr Meela Gokhale was hearing the plea, which alleges that such raising of flags is an offence under the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995. He had approached BMC for their removal and punishment to the person raising them.