'Try to stand on your own legs, don't use Sharad Pawar's photo': SC asks Ajit-led NCP faction
New Delhi: In a hearing on Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to refrain from using images and videos of Sharad Pawar in its campaign materials for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Court emphasised that Ajit Pawar’s group should campaign based on its separate identity, advising him to issue instructions to his party members accordingly.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan was addressing an application filed by Sharad Pawar, requesting the Court to prevent Ajit Pawar’s faction from using the NCP’s clock symbol in the election. Previously, the Court had instructed Ajit Pawar to publish disclaimers regarding the use of the symbol.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sharad Pawar, presented materials, including photos and social media posts, allegedly violating the Court’s previous order. Singhvi pointed to Amol Mitkari, a candidate from Ajit Pawar’s NCP, who had shared images featuring only Sharad Pawar, claiming Ajit Pawar’s side was attempting to “piggyback” on the senior Pawar’s reputation.
In response, Senior Advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for Ajit Pawar, refuted these claims, calling the materials "doctored." However, Singhvi countered that the video had been posted from Mitkari’s official account.
Justice Surya Kant remarked, "Whether or not it is an old video, with Mr Pawar you have an ideological difference, and you are fighting against him. Then you should try to stand up on your own legs."
Balbir Singh assured the Court of compliance but raised concerns over AI manipulation, stating, “In the age of Artificial Intelligence, photos and videos can be manipulated using ‘deep fake’.” Justice Kant acknowledged this concern, noting, “There have been instances which are eye openers. Ultimately this AI also where it will go, we have to be very very careful.”
The Court instructed Ajit Pawar’s faction to issue an electronic circular to its office bearers and candidates, advising against the use of Sharad Pawar’s images or videos in campaign materials, stressing the need for the faction to maintain a distinct identity.
In the background of the case, a rift between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar led the Election Commission of India in 2022 to recognise Ajit Pawar's faction as the official NCP and grant it the clock symbol. This decision is under challenge in the Supreme Court by Sharad Pawar’s faction, which has been permitted to use the symbol of a "man blowing turha (trumpet)."
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
