Leaders pics to continue on govt sites

Can't remove govt leaders from ads: Centre to SC

The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that portraits of government leaders cannot be blacked out from official advertisements ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The court reserved its verdict on a plea seeking issuance of guidelines for curbing ruling parties from taking political mileage by projecting their leaders in official advertisements.

A bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice N V Ramana asked all parties to give their suggestions for guidelines that the court is likely to frame to curb parties in power at the Centre or in states from taking advantage by running a huge publicity blitz just before the polls.

Resisting the plea by counsel Meera Bhatia and Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for NGOs Common Cause and Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), government counsel K Radhakrishnan said what was being sought to be projected as leaders of ruling parties were in fact elected representatives of the people.

Radhakrishnan sought to draw a distinction between the advertisement campaign before the election and in the normal course of time.

“The rules that you are mentioning provide for the issuance of advertisements in print and electronic media based on circulation and languages of their publication and do not cover the issue being addressed by the court,” Chief Justice Sathasivam said, as Radhakrishnan referred to the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity rules.

Referring to the “India Shining” publicity blitz in 2003-04 by the then BJP-led government and the “Bharat Nirman” campaign in 2008-09 and others by state governments, the court was told by the NGOs that the advertisements which made exaggerated claims of achievements were aimed at reaping electoral benefits.

Appearing for common cause, counsel Meera Bhatia said the glorification of politicians linked to the ruling establishment, in order to attain political mileage at the cost of public exchequer, was violative of article 14 of the constitution.

Appearing for CPIL, counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court there was nothing wrong in issuing advertisements and informing the public about the programmes of the government but such campaigns become arbitrary and mala fide when aimed at gaining political mileage. He also said such moves distort the free and fair election and undermine democracy.