India, Nov. 18 -- The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday agreed to hear a plea filed by the Communist Party of India challenging a Madras High Court order for the removal of permanent flagpoles of political parties from public places in Tamil Nadu. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Government and others, seeking their responses on the plea and directed that the status quo be maintained. The Madras High Court had upheld the order passed by its single judge directing all political parties and community and religious organisations to remove within 12 weeks permanent flagpoles erected by them at public places across Tamil Nadu.

The CPI has approached the Court against the High Court's Full Bench ord...