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Kerala HC dismisses plea to remove PM Modi's photo from vaccine certificate, calls it 'frivolous'

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan directed the petitioner, Peter Myaliparampil, to deposit Rs 1 lakh in the name of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority within six weeks.

Kerala HC dismisses plea to remove PM Modi photo from vaccine certificate calls it frivolous gcw
Author
Kerala, First Published Dec 21, 2021, 11:07 AM IST

The Kerala High Court dismissed a petition seeking the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph from COVID-19 vaccination certificates on Tuesday, imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine on the petitioner, calling the petition "frivolous," "politically motivated," and a "publicity interest litigation." Justice P V Kunhikrishnan directed the petitioner, Peter Myaliparampil, to deposit the fee in the name of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority within six weeks.

The court stated that if the cost is not deposited within the specified time frame, KeLSA will recover the money from his assets by launching revenue recovery actions against him. It stated that the fee was imposed to inform citizens and society that frivolous requests like these, which waste judicial time, would not be heard by the court. The court also stated that the petitioner's "frivolous contentions" over the PM's portrait and his "morale-boosting remark" on the vaccination certificate were "unexpected from a citizen of the country."

It further stated that with hundreds of criminal appeals, bail pleas, civil actions, and marital cases ongoing in the courts, frivolous petitions such as the current one squander judicial time. The court had earlier noted what was wrong with Covid-19 immunisation certificates bearing the Prime Minister's image when he was voted to power by the country's people. In addition, the court stated that they might not be proud of their Prime Ministers, but the others are proud of Prime Minister. It further said the popular vote elected him.

Also Read | 'What's wrong with PM Modi's photo on vaccine certificate?' asks Kerala HC

The petitioner stated that the certificate was a private area with personal record information, and hence it was unacceptable to trespass into an individual's privacy. He had argued that including the Prime Minister's photo on the certificate constituted an invasion of an individual's privacy. In his case, the petitioner, a senior citizen, claimed that the Prime Minister's portrait on his immunisation certificate violated his fundamental rights.

 

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