IAS officers as government spokespersons: Plea binned, petitioner fined Rs 1 lakh

New Indian Express

08-08-2025

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by an advocate challenging the appointment of four senior IAS officers as the spokespersons for the Tamil Nadu government.
The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan, while trashing the petition, imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner, M Sathya Kumar, for filing the petition on frivolous grounds.
Observing that no law has been violated by making the appointment, the bench noted that the officers have been appointed as the 'spokespersons of the government, not of any party'.
'Is it violating any law? The appointment is made through a proper channel. They are spokespersons of the government, not of any party. What is wrong in it,' the bench asked the petitioner.
However, Sathya Kumar submitted there is no law that provides for such appointment of IAS officers as spokespersons for the government and it is not akin to the Constitution.
He also noted no proper G.O. was issued for effecting the appointment. It was effected only through a press release issued by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR).
In the petition, he had said there was no legal definition or legislative backing for such an appointment and it risks conflating government communication with the political message as the ruling party may use them for disseminating its messages.
He also had alleged such appointment was not backed by any government order, statutory rule or legally framed notification for authorisation.
He wanted the court to quash the press release issued by DIPR in this regard.