Supreme Court issues notice on plea seeking deregistration of parties promising freebies

In a key development ahead of the Assembly polls in 5 states, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission of India on a petition seeking the deregistration of political parties who promise or distribute irrational freebies from the public exchequer. An SC bench comprising CJI NV Ramana, Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli was hearing this plea which also sought a direction to the EC to seize the election symbols of such parties. The matter will now come up for hearing after a period of 4 weeks. 

Speaking after the hearing, petitioner and SC advocate Ashwini Upadhyay remarked, "The state governments are mired in debt but political parties are distributing freebies. There is a debt of nearly one lakh rupees on every resident of Punjab. There is a debt of nearly 2.5 lakh rupees on every resident of Uttar Pradesh. There is a debt of nearly 2.75 lakh rupees on every resident of Tamil Nadu. Despite this, political parties are saying that they will give us Rs.1000, 2000, scooty. Where will the money come from? The country will be destroyed if this continues. That's why I filed a PIL in the Supreme Court." 

"Those political parties who are making such promises are indulging in corruption and bribery. A law should be made to stop this. And Election Commission should cancel the registration of parties who make such promises and seize their symbols as well. Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear our plea. They issued a notice to the Centre and the Election Commission. The next hearing will take place after 4 weeks. I hope that the Supreme Court will deliver a strong verdict. Because if the freebies being distributed before the polls are not stopped, our economy will be destroyed," the BJP leader elaborated. 

PIL on candidates facing criminal charges

Earlier, Ashwini Upadhyay filed a PIL seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India to take steps to ensure that every political party publishes the details regarding criminal cases of each candidate along with the reason for such selection on its official website within 48 hours. It also demanded that the ECI should file a contempt case against the president of the party that violates two judgments of the SC in this regard. Moreover, the BJP leader called for the deregistration of such political parties. The SC has agreed to take up this matter for hearing.