Khushi Bajpai
Published on: 29 July 2022 at 18:35 IST
The 44th Chess Olympiad 2022, which is being held in the state from July 28 to August 10, has been ordered by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court to have images of both President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appear in all marketing.
The court also demanded that those responsible for tampering with advertisements featuring images of the President and Prime Minister face harsh punishment.
Rajesh Kumar, a Sivagangai resident, filed a case with the Madras High Court’s Madurai bench, prompting the High Court’s decision.
The Prime Minister’s image should have appeared in the advertisements for the 44th Chess Olympiad being hosted in Tamil Nadu, according to the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
The Supreme Court’s decision from the Madurai bench, which also provided a very clear-cut judgement, vindicated this. Annamalai continued, “I hope the Tamil Nadu Government doesn’t become involved in this again and politicize such issues.”
Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, stated that the, “Prime Minister’s picture should have been displayed even if he was unable to attend. In a setting where thousands of athletes from more than 100 countries are competing, he said that the nation should be recognised.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 44th Chess Olympiad on Thursday in Chennai. Along with PM Modi and the state’s chief minister, MK Stalin, actor Rajnikanth and a number of other notable figures attended the event.
The Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre in Mahabalipuram is the venue for the Olympiad. The Chess Olympiad was originally slated to take place in Russia, but after Russia invaded Ukraine, it was changed to Chennai.
A record 188 teams in the Open division and 162 in the women’s division will compete in the 2019 edition.