KOCHI: The High Court has given an ultimatum to local body secretaries to remove illegal boards in the state within a week. Justice Devan Ramachandran also warned that fines would be levied from the secretaries for complaints coming after the ultimatum. The local principal secretary was directed to make the circular containing the court order available to all secretaries within 48 hours.

The court assessed a decrease in flexes across Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi cities but pointed out that the boards of politicians and filmmakers were coming up in numbers in Kollam. Amicus curiae Harish Vasudevan pointed out that the government's move to set up a portal for filing complaints has not been effective. The court also directed the principal secretary of the local department to appear online while considering the petition next week.