The Supreme Court has expressed its intent to consider pleas challenging the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections, calling the issue “very important.”
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra affirmed that the petitions would remain on the list for future hearings.
“This will not be deleted (from the cause list),” the CJI said, adding that the issues raised were “very important”, reports PTI.
During the proceedings, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, who filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), highlighted the necessity of addressing these pleas. Although the bench was occupied with another matter, it expressed commitment to keeping the issue on the agenda.
The last mention of these pleas for urgent hearing was on March 20 this year.
Upadhyay’s petition seeks a directive for the Election Commission to utilise its authority to freeze election symbols and cancel the registrations of parties that engage in such practices. He argues that these populist measures undermine constitutional integrity and disrupt the electoral process by influencing voters through irrational promises.
The petition asserts that offering freebies amounts to unethical conduct akin to bribery, jeopardising democratic values and the spirit of the Constitution. It asserted the need for a total ban on these practices to protect the sanctity of elections.
“This unethical practice is just like giving bribes to the electorate at the cost of the exchequer to stay in power and must be avoided to preserve democratic principles and practices,” it said.
Currently, there are eight recognized national political parties and 56 state-level recognized parties in India, alongside 2,800 registered unrecognised political parties.