Delhi Information and Publicity minister Atishi on Thursday issued a show cause notice to the Director and Secretary of the Information and Publicity department over issuing Independence Day advertisement without the photo of the Chief Minister.

According to the notice, on August 14, the Minister in-charge had directed that a full-page advertisement bearing the photograph of the Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi be released in line with the previous year’s practice.

Advertisement

The Minister had approved a revised media plan, emphasising the significance of including the CM’s photograph, which she argued embodies the values of democracy and independence, especially as the CM is the head of the democratically elected government of the NCT of Delhi.

The notice added that despite these clear instructions, the DIP, under the senior official’s authority, released a half-page advertisement on Independence Day that did not feature the CM’s photograph.

The DIP had previously urged the Minister to reconsider the inclusion of the CM’s photograph, arguing that the Independence Day celebrations are not events for the projection of individuals, particularly when the individual is under custody. Nonetheless, the Minister reiterated her instructions to release the full-page advertisement with the CM’s photograph and explicitly directed that no other creative work should be published.

The notice further alleged that the official’s decision to proceed with the half-page advertisement without the required approval constitutes a violation of several Constitutional and legal provisions.

As a result, the notice has been served to the official to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him and why the cost of the unauthorised advertisements should not be recovered from his salary.

The minister had asked for a response within a period of three days.