Centre and Kerala's reply to High Court notice on removing PM's photograph from certificate awaited

Justice K.V. Kunhikrishnan of the Kerala High Court on Monday wondered what was wrong in Covid-19 vaccination certificates carrying the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The court was examining the maintainability of a plea seeking removal of the PM’s photograph from the certificates.

The judge went on to ask the petitioner whether he was ashamed of the PM and observed that since the PM was elected by the people, there was nothing wrong in having his photograph on the document.

The High Court, however, was reported to have admitted the petition on Tuesday and served notice on the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Justice N. Nagaresh directed both the Union Government and the Kerala Government to file their response.

The petitioner, RTI activist Peter Myaliparambil from Kottayam district, had pleaded that he had paid Rs. 750 for a single dose of Covishield after not getting a slot for free vaccine. Since the certificate was a confirmation that he had been vaccinated and since it contained his personal details, there was no relevance of putting the PM’s photograph but for publicity and propaganda of an individual.

He submitted copies of vaccination certificates from France, Germany, the US, Indonesia, Israel and Kuwait to show that none of them carried pictures of their respective heads of state or government.

“The petitioner has paid for his vaccination…The state has no right to claim credit by inserting a photograph of the Hon’ble Prime Minister in the certificate issued to a paid-vaccine recipient,” the petition had argued. The petition cited several campaigns by governments using public money in giving the entire credit to Narendra Modi for the “largest vaccination campaign in the world” and for ensuring ‘free vaccines’.

The petition also cited how the University Grants Commission and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Bangalore region, had put up banners thanking the Prime Minister for free vaccines.

“The petitioner is concerned that the national campaign against Covid-19 is being converted into a media campaign for the Hon’ble Prime Minister…. There seems to be an effort to show the campaign as a one-man show, a propaganda to project an individual at State expense,” the petition noted. He contended that the Union government and the Prime Minister “cannot claim to have done anything but their duty”.

When the petitioner’s counsel told the court that there was no such practice in other countries, Justice Kunhikrishnan remarked: “They may not be proud of their PMs, we are proud of our PM…Why are you (petitioner) ashamed of the Prime Minister? He came to power through the mandate of the people... we may have different political views, but he is still our PM,” the court added.

Advocate Ajit Joy, appearing for the petitioner, said whether to be proud of one’s Prime Minister or not was a personal choice. He also told the court it was not a matter of political differences as the Supreme Court had laid down guidelines for advertisements and campaigns using public money.

He said having the photo on the certificates would also influence voters and this issue was raised during the recent state Assembly elections.

The central government opposed the plea by saying it was a publicity interest litigation.

(This article was first published in National Herald on Sunday)