Image conscious

Perhaps with an eye on the coming Assembly elections, the West Bengal government has filed a review petition with the Supreme Court regarding its May 13 judgment that bars chief ministers' photographs from being used in government advertisements in the mass media. The apex court had said that photos of the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India (besides those of national figures such as Mahatma Gandhi) alone could be used in ads sponsored by the government. Apparently, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is picky about her pictures and her secretary had issued an order sometime ago demanding that all departments take permission before using her images. All that work would be wasted if the apex court persists with its no-photo ruling.