The Delhi High Court recently opined that no grievance can be lodged against the use of defence officers and civil servants to highlight government schemes and achievements, provided no political party name or symbol is used. This judgment came in response to a PIL filed by prominent civil society members challenging a Defence Ministry order deploying officers at "selfie points" showcasing the Ministry's work. Notably, each of these Rs. 6.25 lakh taxpayer-funded 3D selfie points features a life-size cutout of Prime Minister Modi. Given the Prime Minister's political affiliation, the petitioners also challenged a Department of Training memorandum deploying joint secretaries, deputies, and directors as "district rath prabharis" to publicise the central government's achievements over the past decade.
Through the Additional Solicitor General, the government argued in court that erecting selfie points and assigning public servants to such partisan duties served to reach out to the most vulnerable sections of society and improve grassroots well-being. This claim, however, seems illogical and was embraced by the hearing judges with surprising alacrity. This raises a vital question: what hope remains for the average citizen if even the courts, seemingly acting as government organs, appear to abet the saffron government's personality-driven propaganda blitz? This development, sadly, reflects the realities of New India.
