The petitioner argued that the photograph should be removed as the vaccine certificate is his personal space and he has a right over it.
This is a very dangerous proposal, asking to remove the Prime Minister’s picture from the COVID-19 vaccination certificate, a Kerala High Court judge hearing a petition on Tuesday, November 2, reported Live Law . The petition had asked that PM Narendra Modi’s photograph, which is currently printed at the bottom of the COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued in India, be removed as it is his personal space and he has a right over it. However, the High Court discouraged the petition, citing the example of Mahatma Gandhi’s picture being used on currency notes in India.
Hearing the petition, Justice N Nagaresh orally remarked that someone else may come tomorrow and say that they do not like Mahatma Gandhi and want his picture removed from the notes, saying that ” It’s their blood and sweat and they don’t want to see his face on it”. To this, advocate Ajit Joy, representing the petitioner, submitted that the use of Mahatma Gandhi’s picture on the notes is in accordance with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules, whereas it was not the practice to use the photographs of Narendra Modi on the vaccine certificates. by virtue of any statutory provision.
The Additional Solicitor General, representing the Government of India, sought more time to record the statement. The court posted the matter for November 23. The petitioner in the case is a senior citizen and Right to Information (RTI) activist, who received his COVID-19 vaccination from a private hospital after payment. The aggrieved petitioner approached the court alleging violation of fundamental rights after seeing the PM’s picture on his certificate along with a message.
In order to declare that such photograph pasted on the vaccine certificate is a violation of fundamental rights, the petitioner also demanded that the certificate be issued without photograph.