New Delhi, August 6 – The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed a Madras High Court order that had barred the Tamil Nadu government from using the name ‘Stalin with You’, as well as the photographs of former Chief Ministers and ideological leaders, in the promotion of government welfare schemes. The apex court ruled that such practices are commonplace across India and do not, in themselves, constitute legal violations.
Earlier this week, the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s July 31 interim ruling, which had prohibited the use of any living person’s name, images of former leaders, or party insignia in advertisements related to public welfare schemes.
Appearing for the state, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that the use of political leaders’ names in welfare schemes is neither unprecedented nor legally barred.
“Various state governments across the country have launched schemes using the names of political leaders, and there is no legal prohibition on such practices,” he submitted.
He further clarified that ‘Stalin with You’ is not a new scheme, but rather a digital platform designed to facilitate citizen access to a range of welfare benefits.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, expressed skepticism over the maintainability of the original petition filed before the High Court. The bench pointed out that the petitioner, AIADMK functionary Shanmugham, had selectively challenged only this scheme, while several others across states remain similarly named.
“If the petitioner was so concerned, why didn’t he challenge all schemes named after political leaders from all parties?” the court asked.
Citing its own precedents, the court observed that the use of names and images of constitutional authorities such as the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice had been permitted in the past for similar purposes.
“This is a phenomenon followed throughout the country,” the bench noted, warning that courts must not become platforms for political vendettas.
“Don’t use courts to fight political battles,” the bench added pointedly.
In a strong rebuke, the Supreme Court imposed a cost of ₹10 lakh on the petitioner, noting that he had also sought to cast aspersions on the Election Commission of India. The court viewed the petition as an attempt to politicise a legal issue and misuse judicial processes.
The controversy stems from the Madras High Court’s July 31 order, which restrained the Tamil Nadu government from naming any future public scheme after a living personality. It also barred the use of images of former Chief Ministers, ideological leaders, or the DMK party’s insignia, emblem, or flag in government promotional materials.
Shanmugham, an AIADMK MP, had argued that the use of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s name and images of DMK icons in the state’s digital initiative violated Supreme Court guidelines and the 2014 Government Advertisement (Content Regulation) Guidelines.
However, the High Court itself had noted that earlier Supreme Court rulings permitted the use of the current Chief Minister’s photograph in government publicity, a point the apex court reiterated during Wednesday’s proceedings.
With this ruling, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the constitutional validity of political naming conventions in public welfare initiatives, provided they do not infringe upon neutrality or fairness in governance.
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