As per the Supreme Court’s direction, no Government is allowed to waste public funds for their advertisement. In this direction, a three-member committee is also being appointed. Keeping this in mind, the Delhi High Court had asked this committee to check the violation of this rule along with the scrutiny of the content in the Government advertising, so that a check on the wasteful expenditure of Delhi Government could be examined.
The Congress leader Ajay Maken has accused the AAP Government in Delhi of issuing such ads which are against the guidelines and are a violation in Supreme Court’s verdict. Therefore, a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra has also asked the Center formed committee to go as per the rules and decide the matter in a time-bound and legal way.
“The committee will consider and hear both parties and pass the order,” the bench explained. “We will pass a detailed order indicating the time-frame,” they added.
G, Rohini, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court said, “The issue of content regulation with regards to government advertising will be taken up by central government’s committee and addressed in a timely manner. Accordingly, the petitions stand disposed of”.
Ajay Maken has already made a representation in line with this, claiming it to be ‘politically motivated’ advertisements.
In the Government Advertisement (Content Regulation) Guidelines, 2014, the Supreme Court has laid down the criteria for content in the Government advertisements, so that the misuse of public money could be checked. For this purpose, a three-bench committee, lead by former chief election commissioner, B. B. Tandon, and was constituted by the Centre following this order of the apex court on 13 May 2015.
The order claims that government ads can only carry pictures of dignitaries like the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India. The order was subsequently modified and said that it can also include photographs of governors, chief ministers, and Union and state cabinet ministers.
Recently, the Court was hearing 4 PILs including Mr. Maken’s which stated that AAP Government is misusing Public funds by airing publicity campaign and advertisements to glorify CM Kejriwal and AAP party.
Relating to the issue, AAP Government had informed the Apex Court on August 7 that it had set up its own panel to regulate advertisements as per the apex courts’ order but MR. Maken’s counsel Aman Pawar told the court that only the state governments are authorized to appoint their own committee, whereas, on the other hand, the advertisements of the Union Territories will be regulated by a three-member committee formed by Central Government.
Apart from Tandon, the rest two members of the committee include Rajat Sharma, editor-in-chief of India TV, and Piyush Pandey, executive chairman South Asia, Ogilvy, and Mather.
Hence, it is clear that the way ahead for CM Arvind Kejriwal and his party is not easy and the tough time is ahead of them.
