A Delhi court has refused to drop criminal charges against an NGO’s owner for using logo resembling national emblem Ashok Chakra and the abbreviation “CID” to identify it.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Bansal dismissed the revision petition of Hari Shankar Kumar, owner of Delhi-based NGO Crime Immunization Dais, saying there was no illegality, perversity or error in the order of the magisterial court which had framed charges against him.
“After observing the logo of the NGO, at the first instance, it does look like national emblem. Three bird figures can be prominently seen much like the three lions in the national emblem. The position and direction of the heads of the three birds is also similar to that of three lions as in the national emblem,” the court said.
“This logo was also being used by the NGO in the I Cards issued by it. The smaller size of the logo in those I-Cards was even more confusing and resembled the national emblem,” the court said, adding the logo has been prepared using blue and red colour in the background so as to show that it has something to do with police authority.
“The logo is definitely misleading,” the judge said while dismissing the criminal revision petition of the accused.
Kumar had challenged the magisterial court’s October 19, 2013 order of framing of charges against him for the offence under Sections 3, 5 (prohibition of improper use of emblems and names) of The Emblem and Names (Prevention of Improper use) Act and Sections 420, 171 (cheating and carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent) of the IPC.
According to the police, the NGO, which was formed with the purpose of providing free legal services, used to prominently display its name with abbreviation ‘CID’ on advertisements, including on buses.
The police also alleged the NGO was also using a logo closely resembling Ashok Chakra and that it was also portraying itself as if it was the real CID (Crime Investigation Department), a government police wing.
