TN govt allowed to erect banners to welcome Modi, Xi

The Madras High Court has allowed the Tamil Nadu government to erect flex banners welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the state. The two leaders are slated to meet on October 11 and 12 in the coastal town of Mamallapuram. A division bench, however, made it clear that the state has to follow all existing rules in connection with installation of such banners. The bench also said no political parties will be allowed to install such banners. The HC had earlier banned the erection of hoardings on roadsides in 2017 and recently pulled up the government for not effectively implementing its order in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old woman.