UP mulls filing review petition against SC's order on ads

After Tamil Nadu, the UP government is exploring legal options to challenge the Supreme Court order banning Chief Ministers' photographs on government advertisements.

"There should be parity in <g data-gr-id="22">federal</g> structure. If pictures of the President and the Prime Minister are allowed at the Central level, then the same principle should be applicable to states," additional advocate General Gaurav Bhatia said. He said based on this principle, pictures of the Governor and the Chief Minister should also be allowed.

"As of now, there is <g data-gr-id="17">vacation</g> in Supreme Court, but we are exploring legal remedies and are preparing a draft petition," Bhatia said.

He said the state was also looking into recommendations of the committee constituted by the Apex Court on <g data-gr-id="18">issue</g>. "The committee has recommended that the states should also be allowed to use photographs of the Governor and the Chief Minister," he said.

On May 13, a Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and PC Ghose had said that publishing photos of politicians and associating them with government policy and its achievement, could develop personality cult in the country, which was a direct antithesis of democratic functioning and should not be allowed. With the court permitting only the photos of the President, PM and CJI in government ads, pictures of CM Akhilesh Yadav and his ministers was dropped from government ads in media and other public places released thereafter.