With newspapers and television channels witnessing a windfall of political advertisements in the election season, the Supreme Court on Monday turned down a PIl seeking to stop display of self-aggrandizement by States and Government departments.
Appreciating the petitioner for raising the right cause at a “wrong” time just prior to elections, a bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, “Take a chance after elections. We may frame guidelines,” even as it allowed the petitioner Kochuousep Chittilapally to approach the court later.
The petition had sought framing of guidelines to regulate advertisements issued by Government to project its achievements. The petitioner’s lawyer, without taking names, indicated that in the garb of announcing Government schemes and projects, the advertisements served publicity to the political party in the Government and its leaders, whose photographs get top display. With more than `170 crore earmarked for such ads, it amounts to garner propaganda for the party at the cost of public money.
The petition said, “One can understand if the photograph of the Minister concerned and the PM is displayed. Material shows that leaders of political parties unconnected with the functioning of Government have their photographs displayed in such ads.”
The Bench remarked, “Perhaps you are right. But timing is wrong,” referring to the petitioner’s decision to approach court at the “eleventh hour”. The petition referred to a law Commission report that shed light on framing of a mechanism to deal with curbing such malpractice. Being an election year, the Court had reasons to believe that government of the day would want its achievements to be communicated to people.
“Every person in the country must know about the schemes, many that are launched on the eve of elections. Minus the photographs, how are the people to be made aware,” the Bench reasoned, allowing the petition to be withdrawn.