Dubai - The minister claimed he was only following proceedings of an official event, but footage suggests otherwise.
Risque pictures of Melania, a former model born in Slovenia (then Yugoslavia), were splashed all over the glossy pages and the internet, with Donald Trump defending the images, saying they were common and fashionable in Europe.
Now, a minister in India has been caught surfing Melania's images on his cellphone at an official event.
According to a report in the Times of India, embattled Karnataka education minister Tanveer Sait was reportedly surfing revealing photographs of Melania at a Tipu Jayanti event in Raichur on November 10.
While opposition parties were quick to lash out at the minister, Sait was quick to defend himself, saying he was following reports of Tipu Jayanti in his home district of Mysuru.
TV footage, however, suggests otherwise.
"The photographs the minister was allegedly watching were of Melania Trump. Her pictures taken more than 15 years ago gained new traction in the run-up to the US presidential election and after Trump's shock victory last week. Among the many messages sent to the minister's WhatsApp account, Melania photographs, too, popped up on the screen," the report said, quoting a senior police officer.
The minister claimed he had done nothing wrong, and instead lodged a complaint against the cameraman and the reporters for filming him during the event.