New Delhi, Oct. 27: The Centre has appealed in the Supreme Court to allow photographs of chief ministers and governors along with those of the Prime Minister, President and the Chief Justice of India in official advertisements.

The Centre's move seeking a review of the apex court's May 13 judgment barring photographs of leaders in government advertisements will be heard on January 12. The decision has come as a shot in the arm for the Mamata Banerjee government, which has also challenged the order.

Besides Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Assam have insisted that chief ministers cannot be discriminated vis-à-vis the Prime Minister.

In its review petition, the Centre said "the impugned judgment amounts to arbitrary distinctions between different constitutional posts and there is no rational basis for permitting photographs of the President of India, but not those of governors".

"Further, the embargo on photographs of chief ministers of the states is also violative of the federal character of the polity which is a basic feature of the Constitution of India...," it said.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the Bengal government, pleaded that the state be allowed to use photographs of the chief minister pending the disposal of the batch of review petitions on the issue.

The bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, refrained from entertaining Sibal's plea immediately.

Bengal is due for Assembly elections next year and the Mamata government's efforts to highlight its perceived achievements assume significance in this context.