The court has also asked government to constitute three-member committee to regulate advertisements.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued guidelines on central government advertisements, restricting the use of political leaders photos in government advertisements.
“The Supreme Court, while allowing two important public interest petitions filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, has directed that government advertisements cannot be used to project political personalities or to derive any political advantage from the use of those advertisements which are issued on government and public funds,” senior advocate Prashant Bhushan told the media here.
“The court has in particular directed while accepting the recommendation and report of an expert committee headed by Madhavenon, that photographs of political personalities, including the chief ministers or ministers, cannot be used in any government advertisement from today. Only the photographs of the Prime Minister, President and Chief Justice can be used, and that too, if those functionaries themselves allow the use of the photographs in government advertisements,” he added.
The court has also asked government to constitute three-member committee to regulate advertisements.
Last year, a Supreme Court-appointed high- powered committee had recommended that names and pictures of political parties and their office bearers like presidents be not mentioned in government advertisements.
Holding that there had been 'misuse and abuse' of public money on such advertisements, the three-member committee had framed guidelines to regulate expenditure and contents of such advertisements paid out of tax payers' money.
The report, submitted to the apex court, had emphasised that only pictures and names of the President, the Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Ministers be published to "keep politics away from such ads".
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