Supreme Court Pauses Tamil Nadu Flagpole Removals, Issues Notice on CPI Challenge

Overview

• A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ordered status quo on permanent political flagpoles in public places across Tamil Nadu.
• Notices were issued to the state government and others, and the case was tagged with pending petitions raising similar questions.
• The CPI’s Special Leave Petition contests an August 13 Full Bench decision that declined to examine the matter, arguing a prior Supreme Court dismissal was in limine and did not cause merger.
• The single-judge Madras High Court order had mandated removal of permanent flagpoles from public land within 12 weeks, including national highways and government property.
• That order found no statutory mechanism to license permanent flagpoles in public spaces, allowed temporary installations on private patta land for events, and told the state to frame rules for private land.