PIL on Sonia`s photos: Guj HC seeks Centre`s reply

The Gujarat High Court sought a reply from the Centre on a PIL seeking ban on government advertisements carrying photos of Sonia Gandhi.

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the Centre on a PIL seeking ban on government advertisements carrying photos of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

A division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice JB Pardiwala asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to file the reply within a week. Petitioner Dhaval Shah, a city resident, has taken objection to the advertisements titled `Twenty Point Programme and Central Sector Projects - Contributing to Gujarat`s Overall Development`, which also feature Sonia`s pictures. Shah, who has filed the petition through advocates Vijay Patel and Avani Thakar, contends that a party president is not a Constitutional position, and as Sonia Gandhi does not hold any official position, government advertisements should not carry her pictures. "In every publication of the Central government, the photograph of Sonia Gandhi is prominently projected. These photographs are advertised from the funds of the Central government," argued advocate Patel. PTI