Andhra PIL contends deputy CM is not a constitutional post

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, challenging the display of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s photographs alongside those of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in government offices.

The petitioner, Yemu Kondala Rao, a retired railway employee from Vijayawada, has contended that the practice is unconstitutional. He argues that the Deputy Chief Minister is not a constitutional post and that displaying photographs of individuals who do not hold a constitutional position is against legal principles.

In his petition, Kondala Rao pointed out that under the Right to Information Act, the government itself has confirmed that no specific rules exist regarding the display of portraits in government offices. He also highlighted that there are no official directives mandating the display of the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister's photographs.

The petitioner, citing Supreme Court rulings, stressed that political leaders cannot misuse public funds to enhance their personal image. He has urged the court to direct the state government to remove Pawan Kalyan’s photos from all government offices and to restrain their display until a clear policy is framed on the matter.

The PIL has named the Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department (GAD), the Director of Information and Public Relations, the GAD Deputy Secretary, and Pawan Kalyan himself as respondents. The case is scheduled to be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur on Wednesday.