The Madras High Court has ruled that government ads for welfare schemes cannot include names or photos of political leaders, especially former Chief Ministers or ideological icons, to keep promotions politically neutral.
The Madras High Court has said that names or photos of political leaders cannot be used in advertisements for new or ongoing government schemes. The court ruled that these ads should not show any party flags, symbols or images of former Chief Ministers or ideological icons. The order was issued on July 31 by a bench led by Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice Sundar Mohan. The judges said that welfare schemes are for the public, not for promoting political parties or leaders.
Petition questions use of Karunanidhi's image
The decision came after a petition filed by AIADMK MP CV Shanmugam. He asked the court to stop the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government from using the name and photo of former CM M. Karunanidhi in the 'Ungaludan Stalin' (With You, Stalin) scheme. He also opposed the use of current Chief Minister MK Stalin's name in the titles of government programs.
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Only sitting CM's photo allowed: Madras High Court
The judges referred to an earlier Supreme Court judgment in the case State of Karnataka vs Common Cause. According to that ruling, only the photo of the current Chief Minister may be used in official government advertisements. But using images of former Chief Ministers, party founders, or ideological figures is not allowed.
The court also said that a scheme's name cannot include the names of political personalities. Similarly, any use of party logos, flags, or symbols is against the law and the Election Commission’s guidelines.
Petitioner slams use of public funds for political promotion
Senior Advocate Vijay Narayan, who appeared for the AIADMK MP, argued that the DMK government was using taxpayer money to promote a political personality. He said the scheme “Mudhalvarin Mugavari” was a public program, but its name and promotions made it look like a party campaign. He claimed the scheme carried DMK symbols and photos, violating Supreme Court orders and the 2024 Government Advertisement Content Guidelines.
DMK defends its actions
On the other side, Senior Advocate P Wilson, representing the DMK, said the petition was politically motivated, as reported by Live Law. He argued that the petitioner belonged to the opposition party and only wanted to tarnish the image of DMK leaders. Advocate General PS Raman, speaking for the state, said that none of the materials submitted by the petitioner were official government publications. He also assured the court that the state was not using photos of political leaders or party logos in any official material.
Court clarifies the scope of its order
While passing the order, the court made it clear that it was not stopping the government from launching or running any welfare schemes. The judges said their focus was only on keeping advertisements clean and free from political influence. They also said the case will not stop the Election Commission of India from acting on complaints related to misuse of government ads.
