Kerala High Court has rejected a petition challenging the inclusion of a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Covid vaccine certificate and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner.

The verdict said that thousands of cases were pending before the High Court for consideration and in the meantime the fine was imposed to convince the community and the plaintiff that the court would not encourage such a childish petition.

Our country elects ministers and prime ministers through elections and not by lot. It is natural for the leaders of the party that gets the most votes to come to power. Once they become the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister, they will represent the people as a whole. People see them that way too. The campaign posters of the development projects of the states will have pictures of the Chief Ministers of the respective states. Not everyone has to belong to that CM's party. But as long as he is in the CM's chair, his image is important. What matters is not the person but the position they hold. Mahatma Gandhi's image is one of the most iconic in India, not just due to a position of power. Mahatma Gandhi was a person who was ingrained in the hearts of Indians through his unity in thought, word and deed. If the plaintiff's argument is accepted, will there not be petitions tomorrow asking for the removal of Gandhiji's pictures from government offices? The High Court reminded the petitioner that the Prime Minister did not came to power through a referendum or out of the blue. Whoever the Prime Minister is, that position should be the pride of every citizen. The single bench also held that the inclusion of the Prime Minister's image in the Covid vaccine certificate was not a violation of fundamental or any other rights.

Many issues that have been ignored by the authorities have come to light through public interest petitions. At the same time, very few have filed petitions and misused it. Although it is said to be in the public interest, such petitions have also led to the protection of certain private interests. It is natural to get public attention when the matter comes before the courts. There are not many petitioners in the country for that. The verdict of the single bench should become a lesson to all of them.