Calling the petition to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph from Covid-19 vaccination certificates a publicity interest litigation, frivolous and being politically motivated, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea by imposing a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner.
Examining the maintainability of the plea, Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan observed that citizens need not be ashamed to carry a vaccination certificate with the photograph of the Prime Minister as he is the leader of the country and not of a political party.
He said once a Prime Minister is elected as per the Constitution, he/she cannot be said to be the Prime Minister of the Congress or the BJP but that of the country.
The court said when thousands of convicted persons in criminal cases are in jail, so many property disputes, matrimonial disputes are pending in court, the court needs to focus on those cases first rather than a frivolous plea. Such petitions should be dismissed with a heavy cost, the court said.
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The court said that it has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh to send a message at large that such frivolous pleas waste judicial time and the court will not accept it.
Earlier on Monday, the court had questioned as to what was wrong in Covid-19 certificates carrying the photograph of the Prime minister when he was elected by the people.
The court had also asked the petitioner why he was ashamed of the PM. People may have different political views, but the PM belongs to the country.
When it was said by medical professionals that the Covid-19 pandemic can be eliminated only by vaccination then what is wrong in it if the PM gave a message with his photograph, in the certificates, that with the help of medicine and strict control, India will defeat the virus.