TVK MLA ECR Saravanan moves Madras High Court to quash FIR in unauthorised banners case

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Member of the Legislative Assembly ECR P. Saravanan, alias P. Saravana Murthy, representing the Sholinganallur constituency, has approached the Madras High Court with a plea to quash a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him in 2025 for erecting unauthorised banners.

Justice V. Lakshminarayanan, holding the portfolio to hear all cases related to MPs and MLAs, on Monday (October 12, 2026) allowed an application filed by the MLA to dispense with the production of an original copy of the FIR and directed the High Court Registry to number the main FIR quash petition.

The Neelankarai police in Chennai registered the FIR suo motu on November 30, 2025. The FIR read that a Sub-Inspector of Police G. Prabhakaran had spotted the unauthorised hoardings in a public space near a private marriage hall on K.K. Road during his regular patrol duty in the locality.

Inquiries conducted by the police officer revealed that Mr. Saravanan and another TVK party office-bearer Ravi had erected those hoardings without obtaining permission from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). Hence, the Sub-Inspector had chosen to register the FIR suo motu.

The case had was booked under Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959, which provides for imprisonment for a term that could extend up to one year, with a fine that could extend up to ₹5,000, or both. The MLA has, therefore, approached the High Court with a plea to quash the FIR.