While dismissing a PIL petition against publication of government advertisements with photos of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and other Ministers, the High Court of Karnataka said that dismissal “should not be construed as the court approving of publication of photographs of any Minister in governmental advertisements.”
“We hope and trust that better sense prevails in the quarters that be,” observed a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B. Varale and Justice Krishna S. Dixit in its order dismissing the petition filed by Bhimappa Gundappa Gadag of Belagavi.
What plea said
The petitioner had sought the court’s direction for removal of all the government advertisements on ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ and ‘Gruha Jyothi’ schemes on the ground that advertisements are a huge burden on the State exchequer and were contrary to the apex court’s direction against using the photos of the Ministers in government advertisements.
However, the Bench said that though the apex court had frowned upon publication of photographs in government advertisements, there was no specific direction imposing an absolute embargo against publication of photos of Chief Minister or other Ministers, in a small margin of the advertisements.
No glare and pomp
“A cursory look at the advertisement copies produced by the petitioner do not depict the photographs with the glare and pomp. However, we hasten to add that we are not inclined to approve this also,” the Bench made it clear.
The Bench said that much grievance cannot be made against government advertisements while pointing out that countries like Australia, Canada, United Kingdom etc., have formulated statutory policies for regulating governmental advertisements so that the same does not promote a partisan agenda and misuse of public money for personal or political gains etc.
“We do not much subscribe to the submission that these advertisements involve huge expenditures, and therefore, they should never be permitted. After all, in life, be it of an individual or institutions, nothing comes free. There can be no manner of doubt that one or the other government advertisement coinciding with some event or occasion is published almost everyday,” the Bench observed.
