Petition in HC against banning political ads on public vehicles
18 Aug 2014 11:52 PM GMT
The plea said the guidelines interfere with the right of smaller political parties to express their political views via advertisement on auto-rickshaws, etc., a much cheaper medium for expressing political speech.
The guidelines issued by the transport department and approved by Lietenant-General Najeeb Jung 19 May, were submitted before a division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul earlier this month. The guidelines stated approvals will not be granted if the advertisement contains ‘political, ethnic, religious or sectarian text.’
The petition filed by auto union pleaded with the court to allow auto-rickshaw drivers to display advertisements or social messages on their vehicles carrying political content. Saying that guidelines have been notified at the instance of major ruling political parties, the plea contended that larger political parties have means and ‘they spent lakhs and crores on advertisements to express their views to public.’
In June last year, the former Sheila Dikshit government courted controversy by banning advertisements on PSVs after auto-rickshaws started sporting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) posters in the run-up to the Delhi elections. The auto unions approached the high court alleging the order was ‘discriminatory’.
The guidelines issued by the transport department and approved by Lietenant-General Najeeb Jung 19 May, were submitted before a division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul earlier this month. The guidelines stated approvals will not be granted if the advertisement contains ‘political, ethnic, religious or sectarian text.’
The petition filed by auto union pleaded with the court to allow auto-rickshaw drivers to display advertisements or social messages on their vehicles carrying political content. Saying that guidelines have been notified at the instance of major ruling political parties, the plea contended that larger political parties have means and ‘they spent lakhs and crores on advertisements to express their views to public.’
In June last year, the former Sheila Dikshit government courted controversy by banning advertisements on PSVs after auto-rickshaws started sporting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) posters in the run-up to the Delhi elections. The auto unions approached the high court alleging the order was ‘discriminatory’.
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