Madras High Court directs TN government to use pictures of PM Modi in Chess Olympiad ads

The court also asked the district administration to ensure that none of these posters containing the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Chief Minister Stalin must be defaced or damaged in any way and asked for strict action to be taken against such perpetrators and anti-social elements.
pm-narendra-modi chess olympiad.

Representative Image.

Photo : BCCL
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • State administration had argued that there was a delay in consent from PM's office for pictures.
  • It also argued that since Presidential polls were not concluded when posters made, hence no pictures of President Murmu.
  • Court rejected both the arguments and asked for pictures of PM and President to be put on posters.
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to make sure that images of the President and Prime Minister are included in all Chess Olympiad advertisements in print and electronic media, reported The Indian Express.
This comes after BJP members pasted images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on billboards for the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, claiming they only featured Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice S Ananthi rejected the state government's argument that the President's photo was withheld because the presidential election had not yet ended and that of the Prime Minister because his office's approval was delayed, saying that "the interest of the nation should be (of) paramount importance in the mind of every citizen."
“International events hosted depict the image of the country in the international fora. It not only shows the development of the country but its capability to organize an international event at such short notice. Every government should work, including the State Government.” the court said in its judgment.
“When our country is hosting such an international event, it is the bounden duty of one and all to ensure that such function is organized efficiently and we leave an indelible mark at the international level,” it added.
The court also asked the district administration to ensure that none of these posters containing the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Chief Minister Stalin must be defaced or damaged in any way. And strict action must be taken against such perpetrators.
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