Government ads can now feature photos of union ministers and chief ministers in addition to that of the prime minister, after the Supreme Court on Friday modified its own order establishing guidelines for public advertisements. The decision came after petitions from the Centre and a number of states argued that the apex court's previous order – which only allowed photos of the president, prime minister and chief justice of India in government ads – infringed on the federal structure.

The Supreme Court's decision is significant because it comes just ahead of elections to assemblies in four states. The court's original order, in May 2015, had restricted the use of photos in government ads to just three constitutional posts as a means of avoiding the use of taxpayer funds to plug the ruling party or glorify politicians.

However, petitions from the states and the Centre argued that only allowing the prime minister's face to be used would promote a "personality cult" and that it was against federalism. The court was framing guidelines after two organisations, Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, petitioned it to restrict central and state government from using taxpayer money on government advertising.