Uttar Pradesh: Pasting posters might result in one 12 months in jail

Defacing any authorities or non-public property by pasting a poster or writing on the wall might result in imprisonment of as much as one 12 months and a high quality of as much as Rs 1 lakh in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday handed a Bill for the prevention of defacement of private and non-private properties.
Earlier, the BJP authorities within the state had introduced a legislation to penalise individuals for harm to public properties throughout protests.
The authorities mentioned the explanations that the brand new Bill – Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Defacement of Public and Private Property Bill, 2021 – was introduced as “defacement spoils the view and beauty of properties and creates a bad image of the state in the minds of the people, tourists or visitors.”
It compels the helpless house owners to both tolerate it or take away such disfigurement or re-paint the property at their very own value, the federal government mentioned.

“The distortion of public and private properties on the invocation of political processions, illegal demonstrations, strikes, shutdowns and agitations in the state is done by the people participating in such activities… It has been noticed that public property is defaced by pasting pamphlets/posters or writing/marking with ink/paint or chalk. Houses, walls, fences and other structures of private properties are also defaced during such activities… It has been decided to enact a law to put a check on activities, which cause defacement of public and private property, to maintain the beauty of towns and cities in the state and to protect the interest of the public at large,” the federal government mentioned.
Defining the penalty below the legislation, the Bill states: “Whoever defaces any public or private property without prior permission of the owner, except for the purpose of indicating the name and address of the owner or occupier of such property or beautification carried out by local self-government shall be deemed to have committed an offence under this Act.”
“Such offence under the law would be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with a fine not less than Rs 5,000, which may extend to Rs 1 lakh or both,” it added.

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Under the Bill, the manager Justice of the Peace or police commissioner can have the authority to compound any offence below the Act after giving a correct alternative for listening to.
“Further, while making the assessment of the compounding amount, it would be kept in mind that 50 per cent of the compounding amount includes the amount which would be incurred for the removal of the defacement and the remaining 50 per cent is deposited in the relevant fund of the state government,” it mentioned.
Once enacted, the legislation would additionally maintain significance contemplating that the state would quickly maintain panchayat elections with Assembly elections due subsequent 12 months.

Goonda Law amended
The Assembly on Monday handed “The Uttar Pradesh Control of Goondas (Amendment) Bill, 2021 as per which Commissioner of Police, together with Joint Commissioner of Police in addition to Deputy Commissioner of Police, shall be empowered because the appellate authority below the Act.