Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio, which is said to have invested nearly Rs 60,000 crore towards implementation and development of 4G LTE network infrastructure in India, would now have to shell out Rs 500 for using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's picture in an advertisement without the consent of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The Rs 500 fine would reportedly be imposed on Jio for violating the Prevention of Improper use of Emblems and Names Act of 1950. As per this act, private parties are required to mandatorily obtain explicit government consent in order to use specified names and emblems from a commercial/trade point of view. This is inclusive of the names and images of the prime minister and the president of India.
Violation of the above act leads to a penalty amounting to Rs 500.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, in the Rajya Sabha, admitted the fact that Reliance Jio made use of the prime minister's photos in their new advertisement without obtaining explicit consent from the government. The Opposition front in the Parliament has also raised objections about Jio's approach of doling out front page advertisements containing PM Narendra Modi's images.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio is yet to come out with an official reply regarding the reported penalty of Rs 500. Very recently, the company announced a bonanza in the form of the Happy New Year Jio 4G offer that offers high-speed LTE services for free till March 2017. This is a practical extension of the Jio Welcome Offer that was earlier slated to end soon. This extension is applicable to both existing as well as new Jio subscribers throughout India.
