HC directs AAP's TN unit be made respondent in PIL against ads

The Madras High Court today directed that the Tamil Nadu unit of the Aam Aadmi Party be made a respondent in a PIL against the Delhi government's June 20 nationwide advertisement blitzkrieg.
Besides suggesting penal action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under Prevention of Corruption Act, retired IAS officer Captain A Nagarajan also wanted the court to ensure implementation of regulations on the expenses by the government on advertisements and implementation of advertising guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court on May 13.
He also sought implementation of Governmental Advertising (Content Regulation) Guidelines, 2014 and consequently appoint a three-member body to regulate government advertising.

The Delhi government had spent several crores of rupees on advertisements to promote Kejriwal's image, the petitioner submitted before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam.
He submitted that the Delhi government had made an annual allocation of Rs 526 crore for advertisement, which he said was a "wasteful expenditure" since it had no public interest in it.
"Kejriwal is referred to by name and hailed as a savior, while the opposition is heckled, abjured and degraded," he said.

On May 13, the Supreme Court had directed the union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to constitute a three-member body consisting of persons with unimpeachable neutrality and impartiality and who have excelled in their respective fields to regulate and implement Governmental Advertising (Content Regulation) Guidelines, 2014.

The guidelines were introduced to ensure that union, state and governmental agencies abstain from misusing public funds on advertisement campaigns for personal and political gains, Nagarajan said.
He alleged that the Kejriwal government had set a bad precedent for governance by issuing advertisements through national newspapers, television channels and FM radio.
"There is likelihood of every other state indulging in such wasteful public expenditure," the PIL said.
"Advertising is a non-plan expenditure. Building a brand image of Kejriwal by spending public money attracts the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act," the petitioner said.
The court adjourned the case for hearing to August 24.