Plea in HC against AAP lawmaker for misusing state emblem

A petition was filed in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking action against an Aam Aadmi Party legislator allegedly distributing ID cards bearing the state emblem to party volunteers.

The plea sought that AAP and its Kirari legislator Rituraj Govind be restrained from misusing the state emblem with immediate effect. It also sought direction to the central government to grant sanction to prosecute both the party and its lawmaker for misusing the emblem in contravention of section 3 of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act.

The plea was mentioned before a division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva who posted the matter for Wednesday.

Pratyush Kanth, who claims to be a journalist and said he had contested the election from Kirari as a candidate of the Indian National Congress party, alleged that ID cards distributed by Govind have the designation of the worker written as "In-charge Anti Corruption" along with his name and address.

His plea claimed the ID cards have the state emblem printed on them which is clearly a misuse and creates an impression that it relates to the government or that it is an official document of the government.

It said that these ID cards have been distributed to many party workers. "There is a strong impression and belief among the locals of the Kirari area that these cards have been issued by the government and they are government employees now," it said, seeking direction for police to seize all such ID cards.

"The family members of these workers have approached the other locals expressing their happiness of being a government servant now. Interestingly, few people who were not the members, workers of AAP approached the petitioner expressing their grief and concern. The petitioner thereafter realized the misuse of the state emblem and decided to approach the court," said the plea.