Bengaluru, Aug. 2 -- The Madras high court has said that political parties cannot use names or images of any living personality, including chief ministers and ideological leaders, as well as party insignia or symbols, in government advertisements for welfare schemes.

A bench of chief justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and justice Sunder Mohan barred the inclusion of "the name of any living personality, photographs of former chief ministers or ideological leaders," and "party symbols, emblems, or flags of political parties," including those of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, in advertisements for government welfare schemes.

The bench passed the order on July 31 while hearing a petition filed by AIADMK Member of Parliament C Ve Shanmugam, w...