Reliance Jio may face paltry Rs 500 fine for using Modi's picture in ad

Telecom player Reliance Jio may face a paltry fine of Rs 500 for using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph in its print advertisement a day after the formal launch of Jio's services on September 5. 

In a reply to a question in the Parliament, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that while no permission was taken or granted by the Prime Minister's office for the use of the photograph in Jio's endorsements, the government was aware that it had happened. 

According to an article in The Economic Times, "the law governing prevention of improper use of emblems and names of 1950 provides for this rather insignificant penalty for violating norms."

The issue and the rather minor penalty came to the fore after questions were raised about the use of the PM's picture for commercial endorsements. Two months after Jio's endorsement, PayTm used the Prime Minister's photograph to advertise its wallet services after the government demonetized Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, a move which has given an edge to mobile wallets in the country. 

There's a list of emblems and symbols that cannot be used without the government's permission, the report says. This includes, the President, Prime Minister, governor of a state, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, United Nations Organisation, Dharma Chakra or Ashok Chakra, the government of India or any state, and so on.