Kerala HC admits petition on Mont Blanc pen

The Kerala High Court on Thursday admitted a petition praying the court to prohibit marketing and sales of Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition-241 and Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition-3000, the luxury pens manufactured by Mont Blanc International GmbH on which the name and pictorial representation of Mahatma Gandhi are used.
In the petition filed by Dijo Kappen, managing trustee, Centre for Consumer Education, it is alleged that the marketing and sales of the pen, which costs Rs 14 lakh each, is in violation of Section 3 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act.“Gandhiji is the Father of the Nation and is considered the epitome of simplicity. Making him a symbol of a Rs 14-lakh pen is nothing but an attempt to degrade everything that Gandhiji symbolised,” the petitioner alleged.The court has directed to issue a notice to the Mont Blanc International, a German company.The Government of  India, and Entrack International Trading, the dealers of the product in India, are the other respondents in the petition.