KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday imposed Rs 1 lakh fine on a senior citizen who sought the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo from the Covid vaccination certificate. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan dismissed the plea, terming it a “frivolous” one filed with “ulterior motives”. The petitioner, Peter Myaliparambil, had claimed PM’s photo on the certificate was an infringement of fundamental rights.
“A citizen of the country argues before the High Court that carrying the photographs of his prime minister in the vaccination certificate with a morale-boosting message in a pandemic situation is an intrusion into his privacy... These are frivolous contentions which are never expected from a citizen,” the court observed.
The court said thousands of convicts are in jail waiting to hear their appeals. Similarly, thousands of people are waiting for the verdict in other disputes. In such a situation, frivolous pleas should be dismissed with a heavy cost, the court noted.
The petitioner has been asked to pay the cost within six weeks to the Kerala State Legal Services Authority. If the amount is not paid, then it should be recovered from the assets of the petitioner, the court ordered.