New Delhi, India (BBN)-The Supreme court on Wednesday restrained the centre and state governments from publishing pictures of ministers, chief minister, and president of ruling political parties in government advertisements.
The apex court ruled that only pictures of the President, the PM and the Chief Justice of India would be published in government advertisements, reports The Times of India.
With Wednesday's order, the pictures of other functionaries would not figure in government advertisements.
NO POLITICS IN GOVT ADS, SC PANEL SAYS
The court said that publishing picture of political personalities has the potential to create personality cult in the country which should not be permitted.
A bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said that the government should not be allowed to use public money for unproductive expenditure like giving advertisements for political gains.
The bench, however, refused to pass order restraining the government from giving ads six months prior to elections.
The SC directed the Centre to appoint a three-member committee to oversee that public money is not misused by the government in giving advertisements.