HC pulls up TN govt for not carrying photos of President, PM in Chess Olympiad ads

The Madras High Court pulled up the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday for neglecting to include images of both the President and Prime Minister in all advertisements and promotional events for the 44th Chess Olympiad, which was being held near Chennai. The Chief Justice M. N. Bhandari and Justice S. Ananthi rejected the state government’s explanations for not including the couple’s photos, saying that given the national interest and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Common Purpose, it should be ensured that whether or not dignitaries such as the President or the Prime Minister accept the invitation to an international event, the advertising should still include their photos.

The bench was hearing an urgent PIL filed by R Rajesh Kumar of Madurai seeking to declare the use of the picture of State Chief Minister M K Stalin alone in all ads of the 44th Chess Olympiad scheduled to be held in Mamallapuram from July 28 to August 10 as illegal, arbitrary, and in violation of the direction given by the apex court in several cases, and to direct the Tamil Nadu government to carry the photos of the Presidency.

Previously, Advocate-General R. Shanmugasundaram argued that while the state government was laying the groundwork for the tournament and advertising in various media, the presidential elections had not yet finished, and so the portrait of the President could not be included.

In terms of the Prime Minister, his permission to launch the occasion was only granted on July 22. The Prime Minister’s photograph is used with his permission in all advertisements, he said, adding that the state government never sought to violate the Supreme Court’s directions and that there is no malice behind such non-publication. As a result, he argued that the writ petition should be declared infructuous and dismissed.

Rejecting the submissions, the bench stated that the national interest should be foremost in the minds of all citizens. International activities hosted reflect the country’s image in international forums. It demonstrated not only the country’s development but also its capacity to organise an international event at such short notice.

Every administration, especially the state government, should work with the aforementioned goal in mind.

The case at hand involved an international occurrence.

When our nation hosts a worldwide event, it is everyone’s duty to ensure that the event is well-organized and that we leave an indelible impression on the global stage. This is especially true given our country’s reputation for hospitality and efficiency. Thus, everyone should be worried about the country’s image, and such representation, clearly, would be under the direction of the President and the Prime Minister of India, in addition to the Chief Minister of the State where the contest is held, “the judges stated.

The state’s explanation that the Presidential elections were not completed and thus the photograph was not released cannot be accepted, according to the court, because advertising was provided even after the results of the Presidential elections were declared without the photograph in question.

The government’s reason ‘for not publishing the PM’s portrait owing to late receipt of approval from his office is likewise unacceptable, as his photograph was obliged to be released even if he could not have inaugurated the event.

The judges emphasised that, notwithstanding the Parliament session, the Prime Minister decided to launch the occasion, recognising the significance of the event on a global scale.

Excuses cannot be accepted

“Both of the state government’s excuses cannot be accepted for the reasons stated.” However, photos of the Prime Minister are now being used in commercials to promote the worldwide event. However, the President’s photograph is still not featured in any of the commercials. “In view of the Apex Court’s orders, no rationale may ever be accepted by this court,” the judges stated.

“In light of this, we direct the state government to ensure that pictures of both the President and the Prime Minister are shown in all advertisements for the Chess Olympiad, whether in print or electronic media.” The administration should ensure that if any foreign event is held in the state, the orders issued by the Apex Court in the case of Common Purpose be strictly followed with the names of the guests as stipulated therein, “the bench stated

The bench further noted that a request has been made to direct the state administration to seek public apologies for using public funds to promote the international event.

According to the bench, the district administration must ensure that no harm or destruction is done to any advertising that includes images of the President and Prime Minister.