Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala high court dismissed a petition challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image on Covid-19 immunisation certificates on Tuesday, fining the petitioner one lakh rupees and dismissing the case as "frivolous" and "politically motivated." Modi is the Prime Minister of the country, not of any political party or philosophy, according to the statement, and such a plea was "not expected from a citizen." 

 The Kerala State Legal Service Authority can commence recovery procedures if the petitioner, Peter Myalparambhil, fails to pay the fine, according to a single-judge court chaired by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan. The court stated that Myalparambhil squandered its time, and that the punishment is a warning to those who make "frivolous requests." 

"This is a frivolous petition filed with ulterior motivations, and I have a strong suspicion that the petitioner has a political objective as well." This is a petition aimed at gaining attention. As a result, the matter is appropriate to be dismissed with prejudice at a high expense," the court stated. It went on to say that such petitions squander judicial time while hundreds of appeals, bail requests, and civil litigation are pending before it. The court had already given Myalparambhil time to withdraw the petition, but he persisted on continuing the hearing. 

 "He (PM Narendra Modi) is our Prime Minister, not the Prime Minister of any other country," the court said earlier while hearing the case. He came to power as a result of a mandate. You cannot oppose this simply because of your political views. Why are we so ashamed of our Prime Minister? "If 100 crore people don't have a problem with it, why do you?" 

In October, Myalparambhil filed a lawsuit, claiming that Modi's photo on the certificates "had no substance, utility, or relevance." Ajit M Joy, his lawyer, described the immunisation certificate as his "private area," adding that he has certain rights over it. He claims the state cannot take undue credit for the vaccine because the petitioner paid for it. Joy described it as a violation of his fundamental rights, and suggested that certificates may be issued without Modi's image. Other countries' immunisation certificates, he pointed out, do not include photos of their senior leaders. 

 "They may not be proud of their PM, but we are," Kunhikrishnan responded. He was elected Prime Minister by popular vote. We may disagree on politics, but he is still our Prime Minister."