Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14 (IANS): Kerala's disregard for judicial orders was on full display as a massive hoarding was erected near the Cantonment Gate of the State Secretariat here, the seat of power, defying repeated directives from the Kerala High Court.

The court has time and again criticized district authorities for their failure to remove illegal and unauthorised hoardings from public spaces.

Recently, the Kerala High Court asked the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation secretary if they were prepared to submit a report on the number of such unauthorized and illegal installations in the capital city. Despite these interventions, the violations continue.

The CPI-M-backed Kerala Secretariat Employees Association has erected the board and announced the inauguration of a building on Thursday to mark their association's Golden Jubilee.

The advertisement prominently features Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who will inaugurate the event, and V. Joy, the CPI(M) Thiruvananthapuram district secretary and MLA from the Varkala constituency.

It also includes an image of the late CPI(M) state secretary and politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, whose portrait will be unveiled during the event.

This defiance comes months after the High Court strongly condemned the rampant installation of unauthorized boards, calling it a symptom of lawlessness.

"Thiruvananthapuram is our capital city. If such lawlessness exists, who is to blame? Is it the High Court? A contempt case against officials might be the only way to rouse them from their slumber. People in governance do not care about the law. This kind of lawlessness is now defining Kerala as the so-called 'new Kerala'," the court had remarked in October last year.

Adding to the irony, the illegal hoarding is positioned at the entrance of the Secretariat's Cantonment Gate, a route frequently used by Chief Minister Vijayan himself.