Andhra Pradesh Prevention of the Disfigurements of Open Places and Prohibition of obscene and objectionable posters and Advertisements Act, 1997

{
    "id": 14678,
    "slug": "andhra-pradesh-prevention-of-the-disfigurements-of-open-places-and-prohibition-of-obscene-and-objectionable-posters-and-advertisements-act-1997",
    "title": "Andhra Pradesh Prevention of the Disfigurements of Open Places and Prohibition of obscene and objectionable posters and Advertisements Act, 1997",
    "short_title": "Andhra Pradesh Prevention of the Disfigurements of Open Places and Prohibition of obscene and objectionable posters and Advertisements Act, 1997",
    "act_number": "(Act No. 28 of 1997)",
    "act_year": 1997,
    "act_type": "STATE",
    "location": "Andhra Pradesh",
    "law_status": "unknown",
    "enactment_date": null,
    "description": "Andhra Pradesh Prevention of the Disfigurements of Open Places and Prohibition of obscene and objectionable posters and Advertisements Act, 1997",
    "preamble": "",
    "section_label": "Section",
    "sections": [
        {
            "number": "1",
            "title": "1. Short title, extent and Commencement.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 0
        },
        {
            "number": "2",
            "title": "2. Definitions.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "(a) \"advertisement\" includes any notice, circular, hand-bill label, wrapper or other document and also includes any visible representation made by means of any light, sound, smoke or gas;\n(b) \"authority\" means an authority constituted under section 9;\n(c) \"government\" means the State Government of Andhra Pradesh;\n(d) \"notification\" means a notification published in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette and the word \"notified\" shall be construed accordingly;\n(e) \"objectionable advertisement\" means any advertisement:-\n(i) Which is likely to incite any person to commit murder, sabotage or any offence involving violence; or\n(ii) Which is likely to seduce any member of the armed forces of the Union or of the Police forces from allegiance or his duty, or prejudice the recruiting of persons to serve in any such force or prejudice the discipline of any such force: or\n(iii) Which is likely to incite any section of the citizens of India to commit an act of violence against any other section of the citizens of India: or\n(iv) Which is deliberately intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of the citizens of India by insulting or blaspheming of profaning the religion or the religious beliefs of that else: or\n(v) Which is grossly indecent, or scurrilous or obscene or is intended to black - mail;\n(1) expressing disapprobation or criticism of any law or of any policy or administrative action of the Government with a view to obtain its alteration or redress by lawful means.\n(2) criticising any social or religious practice without malicious intentions and with an honest view to promote social or religious reform or social Justice;\n(f) \"Place open to public view\" includes any private place or building, monument, statue, post - wall, fence, tree or other thing or contrivance visible to a person being in, or passing along, any public place;\n(g) \"poster\" means any printed, typed, hand written, cyclostyled or Xeroxed matter or design or pictorial representation usually meant to be displayed as a play card or pasted on any wall, building, hoarding or other place open to public view whether by cinematography exhibition or otherwise but does not include the exhibition of a cinematograph film inside the auditorium of a cinema theatre;\n(h) \"prescribed\" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;\n(i) \"Public place\" means any place (including a road, street or way, whether a thoroughfare or not and a landing place) to which the public are granted access of have a right to resort, or ever which they have a right to pass.\nChapter - II\nPrevention of disfigurement of open places",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": true,
            "sort_order": 1
        },
        {
            "number": "3",
            "title": "3. Penalty for disfigurement by objectionable advertisements.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 2
        },
        {
            "number": "4",
            "title": "4. Penalty for unauthorized disfigurement by advertisement.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 3
        },
        {
            "number": "5",
            "title": "5. Punishment of abetters.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 4
        },
        {
            "number": "6",
            "title": "6. Power to remove, erase, pull down and destroy objectionable advertisements.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "Chapter - III\nProhibition of obscene posters etc.",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 5
        },
        {
            "number": "7",
            "title": "7. Obscene poster.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "(a) its effect is to tend debase and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read or see the matter contained or embodied in it;\n(b) it holds out or recommends to the public anything to be used as, or suggestive of, a sexual stimulant;\n(c) it undermines the accepted cannons of decency or encourages vicious or immoral acts;\n(d) it lowers the sacredness of the institution of marriage or depicts scenes of rape, criminal assault on women or other immoralities;\n(e) it exhibits the human form in a state of nudity or indecorous or sensual posture; or\n(f) it encourages lasciviousness or arouses impure and lecherous thoughts.",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 6
        },
        {
            "number": "8",
            "title": "8. Prohibiting of printing, publishing or displaying obscene posters.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 7
        },
        {
            "number": "9",
            "title": "9. Constitution of Authority for determination of questions relating to obscenity of poster.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 8
        },
        {
            "number": "10",
            "title": "10. Penalty.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 9
        },
        {
            "number": "11",
            "title": "11. Power to make search and seizure.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "(a) enter and search at all reasonable times with such assistance, if any, as he considers necessary any place in which he has reason to believe that an offence punishable under this chapter, has been or is being committed;\n(b) seize, and detain any material which has reason to believe contravenes any of the provisions of this chapter;\n(c) examine any record, register, document or any other material or object found in any place mentioned in Clause (a) and seize the same if he has reason to believe that it may furnish evidence of the commission of an offence punishable under this chapter.",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 10
        },
        {
            "number": "12",
            "title": "12. Forfeiture.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 11
        },
        {
            "number": "13",
            "title": "13. Compounding of offences.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "Chapter - IV\nMiscellaneous",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 12
        },
        {
            "number": "14",
            "title": "14. Offences by companies.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "(a) 'Company' means any body corporate and included a firm or other association of individuals; and\n(b) 'Director' in relation to a firm means a partner in the firm.",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 13
        },
        {
            "number": "15",
            "title": "15. Certain offences to be cognizable.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 14
        },
        {
            "number": "16",
            "title": "16. Cognizance of offences.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 15
        },
        {
            "number": "17",
            "title": "17. Protection of action taken in good faith.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 16
        },
        {
            "number": "18",
            "title": "18. Burden of proof in certain cases.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 17
        },
        {
            "number": "19",
            "title": "19. Power to issue directions.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 18
        },
        {
            "number": "20",
            "title": "20. Act to override other laws.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 19
        },
        {
            "number": "21",
            "title": "21. Power to remove difficulties.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 20
        },
        {
            "number": "22",
            "title": "22. Power to make rules.",
            "chapter": null,
            "content": "",
            "footnote": "",
            "is_definition": false,
            "sort_order": 21
        }
    ],
    "metadata": {
        "Act ID": "Last Updated 14th January, 2020 [ap686]",
        "Act Number": "(Act No. 28 of 1997)",
        "Enactment Date": "",
        "Act Year": "1997",
        "Short Title": "Andhra Pradesh Prevention of the Disfigurements of Open Places and Prohibition of obscene and objectionable posters and Advertisements Act, 1997",
        "Type": "STATE",
        "Location": "Andhra Pradesh"
    },
    "updated_at": "2026-09-29 21:55:18"
}