The Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959

(1) This Act may be called the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959. (2) It extends to the whole of the State of Tamil Nadu.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "advertisement" includes any effigy or any bill, notice, document, paper or other thing containing any words, signs or visible representations; (aa) "motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined in clause (28) of section 2 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Central Act 59 of 1988) and used for road transport service by any State Transport Undertaking; (b) "objectionable advertisement" means any advertisement which is likely to- (i) incite any person to commit murder, sabotage or any offence involving violence; or (ii) seduce any member of any of the armed forces of the Union or of the police forces from his allegiance or his duty, or prejudice the recruiting of persons to serve in any such force or prejudice the discipline of any such force; or (iii) incite any section of the citizens of India to acts of violence against any other section of the citizens of India; or which- (iv) is deliberately intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of the citizens of India by insulting or blaspheming or profaning the religion or the religious beliefs of that class; or (v) is grossly indecent, or is scurrilous or obscene or intended for blackmail; (vi) obstructs pedestrian traffic; Explanation.-An advertisement shall not be deemed to be objectionable merely because words or signs or visible representations are used- (1) expressing disapprobation or criticism of any law or of any policy or administrative action of the Government with a view to obtain its alteration or redress by lawful means; (2) criticising any social or religious practices without malicious intention and with an honest view to promote social or religious reform or social justice; (c) "place open to public view" includes any private place or building, monument, statue, post, wall, fence, tree or other thing or contrivance visible to a person being in, or passing along, any public place; (d) "public place" means any place (including a street or way, whether a thoroughfare or not and a landing place) to which the public are granted access or have a right to resort, or over which they have a right to pass; (dd) "State Transport Undertaking" means a State Transport Undertaking as defined in clause (42) of section 2 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Central Act 59 of 1988); (e) "Traffic Committee" means a Traffic Committee constituted under section 3-B and having jurisdiction.

Whoever affixes to, or inscribes or exhibits on, any place open to public view any objectionable advertisement shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 4-A and without prejudice to the provisions of section 4, whoever, without the previous permission of the Traffic Committee, affixes to, or inscribes or exhibits on, any place open to public view any advertisement which- (a) obstructs the line of vision of any person or the driver of any vehicle using any public place or endangers the safety of such person, driver or vehicle; (b) distracts the attention of any pedestrian or the driver of any vehicle using any public place, in such manner as to cause danger to such pedestrian or driver or vehicle; or (c) causes glare to the driver of any vehicle using any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both. (2) Every Traffic Committee shall, in deciding whether to grant or refuse to grant permission under sub-section (1), have regard to the following matters, namely :- (a) the location of the proposed advertisement; (b) the effect of such advertisement on moving traffic; and (c) such other matters as may be prescribed.

(1) There shall be constituted a Traffic Committee for the City of Madras and for each district. (2) Every Traffic Committee shall,- (a) in the City of Madras, consist of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic); (b) in the districts, consist of the Superintendent of Police, and five other non-official members appointed by the State Government, of whom, two shall be women: Provided that if there are more than one Superintendent of Police in a district, the senior most among them shall be the member of the Traffic Committee.

(1) Any person aggrieved by any decision of a Traffic Committee in granting or refusing to grant permission under section 3-A may appeal- (a) in the City of Madras, to the Commissioner of Police; (b) elsewhere, to the Collector of the district concerned. (2) The decision of the appellate authority under sub-section (1) shall be final.

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 4-A, whoever affixes to, or inscribes or exhibits on, any place open to public view any advertisement without the written consent of the owner or occupier or person in management of the property in which such place is situated shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees, or with both. (2) The court when convicting the offender under sub-section (1) may, by order, also, direct the offender to pay by way of compensation to the owner or occupier or person in management of the building or premises, such amount not exceeding five hundred rupees on the whole as may be reasonably incurred by him in erasing or removing the advertisement and colour-washing the building or premises which have been disfigured by the act of the offender.

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in sections 3, 3-A or 4 or any other provision of this Act, or any law for the time being in force, no person shall, in any local area,- (a) affix to, or inscribe or exhibit on, any place open to public view, any poster or any effigy, or any bill, notice, document, paper or other thing containing any words, signs or visible representations; or (b) put up or fix any thatty board or board supported on, or attached to, any post, pole, standard, framework or other support wholly or in part upon or over any land, building, wall or structure.

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in sections 3, 3-A, 4 or 4-A or any other provision of this Act, or any law for the time being in force, no person shall- (a) affix to, or inscribe or exhibit on, any motor vehicle, any poster or any effigy, or any bill, notice, document, paper or other thing containing any words, signs or visible representations; or (b) put up or fix any thatty board or board supported on, or attached to, any post, pole, standard, framework or other support wholly or in any part upon or over any motor vehicle: Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall apply to any poster or advertisement or thatty board of the State Government, on any motor vehicle. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), any officer authorised by the Chairman of the State Transport Undertaking concerned, may grant permission to any person to put up or fix any thatty board on any motor vehicle, subject to such conditions and for such period as may be specified in such permission.

Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4-A shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.

Any offence punishable under section 4-B may be tried in a summary way and the provisions of sections 262 to 265 (both inclusive) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974) shall, as far as may be, apply to such trial.

Whoever in any manner whatsoever causes, procures, counsels, aids, abets or is accessory to, the commission of any offence under section 3 or section 3-A or section 4 (1) or section 4-A or section 4-AA shall be punished with the punishment provided for the offence.

Where a person is prosecuted for committing an offence under section 3-A or section 4(1) or section 4-A(1)(b) or section 4-AA(1)(b), the burden of proving that he has the permission or the written consent, as the case may be, shall be on him.

(1) Where an offence has been committed by a company, every person who, at the time when the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence, and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly: Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this Act, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any gross negligence on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. Explanation.- For the purpose of this section- (a) 'company' means any body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals, and (b) 'director', in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), any offence punishable under this Act shall be deemed to be a cognizable offence within the meaning of that Code.

No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Government, any local authority or person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.

The provisions of this Act are in addition to, and not in derogation of, the provisions of any other law for the time being in force.

(1) The State Government may make rules for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act. (2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for- (a) the form of application for permission; (b) the manner in which, and the period within which, the application for permission has to be made; (c) the fees to be paid on every application for permission. (3) All rules made under this Act shall be published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette and, unless they are expressed to come into force on a particular day, shall come into force on the day on which they are so published. (4) Every rule made under this Act shall, as soon as possible after it is made be placed on the table of both Houses of the Legislature and if, before the expiry of the session in which it is so placed or the next session, both Houses agree in making any modification in any such rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.