SC panel to stop govt from giving ads for publicity

The SC on Wednesday constituted a committee to frame guidelines to prevent the government from misusing public funds by giving advertisements in newspapers and TV for political mileage.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday constituted a committee to frame guidelines to prevent the government from misusing public funds by giving advertisements in newspapers and TV for political mileage.

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“In these circumstances, conceding that the existing DAVP policy/guidelines do not govern the issues raised in these writ petitions and do not lay down any criteria for the advertisements to qualify for “public purpose” as opposed to partisan ends and political mileage, there is a need for substantive guidelines to be issued by this Court until the legislature enacts a law in this regard,” said a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam.

The bench constituted a three-member committee comprising former director of National Judicial Academy, NR Madhava Menon, former Lok Sabha secretary TK Viswanathan and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar.

The committee has to submit a report on the same within three months to the court, which will examine the guidelines and then approve them.