Use photos of President, PM Modi in ads of Chess Olympiad: Madras HC

The Madras High Court ordered the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that photographs of the President and Prime Minister are published in all Chess Olympiad advertisements in print and electronic media.

Chennai: A day after BJP workers pasted photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on billboards for the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai saying they featured only Chief Minister M K Stalin, the Madras High Court Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that photographs of the President and Prime Minister are published in all Chess Olympiad advertisements in print and electronic media.

Rejecting the state government’s submission that the President’s photograph was not published because the Presidential election had not concluded and that of the Prime Minister because consent from his office came late, the bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice S Ananthi said “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… 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 said.

The bench directed the district administration to “ensure that no damage or destruction is caused to any of the advertisements published containing the photographs of the Hon’ble President and the Prime Minister, apart from the Chief Minister, and if any such activities are reported, strict action should be taken against such personnel”.