The high court on Monday asked the municipal commissioner and deputy municipal commissioner (Advertising) to explain as to under which authority they were engaging private agencies for survey and collection of advertisement tax from the companies, which want to put advertisement kiosk along the roadside.

Municipal commissioner, Shailesh Kumar Singh and deputy municipal commissioner (Advertising) Pratap Singh Bhadoria, appeared on Monday before the bench of Justice Pradeep Kant and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi in compliance of earlier order.

The officials could not clarify and justify before the court that under which part of the Municipalities Act, the municipal action was taken.

Municipal Commissioner assured the court that within the next 15 days, he would explain the entire position before it.

The order came on the writ petition of the petitioner, Shobha Publicity, which stated that a private agency, M/s Astha Vigyapan Agency, engaged by the municipal corporation illegally took down its advertisement kiosk and replaced it with own kiosk.

The court restrained the private agency from compelling the petitioner to remove its kiosk. It provided that MC was at liberty to take necessary action in accordance with law. The court fixed December 2 for the next hearing of the case.