Petition against PM’s photo on vaccination certificates
A writ petition by a senior citizen in Kerala says that the prime minister’s photo on COVID-19 vaccination certificates violates a citizen’s fundamental rights. The case is likely to come up for hearing in the last week of October.
A writ petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court by a senior citizen from the state seeking removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph from COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
RTI activist Peter Myaliparambil from Kottayam has argued in his petition that the prime minister’s photo on his personal vaccination certificate is a violation of his fundamental rights as he says that a citizen has a right to be left alone and not be a part of any kind of message that he or she believes is nothing more than personal propaganda and publicity for an individual.
Myaliparambil had paid Rs 750 for a jab as he couldn’t get any slot for free vaccination. He has said in his petition that the state doesn’t have any right to insert a picture of the prime minister on a paid vaccination certificate. This is an encroachment into the private space and no other country has the pictures of their leaders on their vaccination certificates.
He has further argued that the certificate contains medical information of a person and that the state doesn’t have the right to access any of that.
The petition was filed on October 9. Justice PB Suresh Kumar has ordered the state and Union governments to submit their responses within two weeks.
