FIR lodged for using Smriti Irani's pic in real estate ad

An FIR has been lodged against unnamed persons on a complaint by Union Minister Smriti Irani's aide who said that her photograph were used by a real estate developer without her consent in an advertisement.

Smriti Irani's private secretary Vijay Gupta had written to the Superintendent of Police, Khyati Garg complaining that a local paper had published an advertisement by Sai Green City, Jagdishpur in which photographs, names and designations of some eminent people, including Smriti Irani, were used to sell plots.

SP Khyati Garg said that, "The letter in this connection said that the name and picture of the minister has been used in the advertisement without her consent to attract buyers."

The letter demands action and an FIR has been lodged in Jagdishpur police station against some unknown persons and investigations have begun.

Virendra Vidhi, the managing director of the Sai Green City, his partner Sonu Yagya Saini, gram pradhan Abhay Pratap Singh and others are being questioned.

The police officials said that using the picture, name and post of a peoples' representative without his/her consent is a crime.

Besides Smriti Irani, the name and picture of Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Pasi and outgoing district unit president of the BJP Durgesh Tripathi have also been used in the advertisement.

Congress leader and MLC Dipak Singh had highlighted the matter through a tweet saying it had not yet been a year since Smriti Irani won Amethi and she was already selling plots by giving advertisements in newspapers.

( With inputs from IANS )