Today(18th Sept), the Supreme Court of India acknowledged the issue of political parties offering freebies as “very important” and decided to keep the pleas on its cause list. Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and other justices emphasized the matter’s significance, with the case urged for hearing by PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay.
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NEW DELHI: The issue of political parties offering freebies during election campaigns is gaining attention, with the Supreme Court of India acknowledging the matter as “very important.” Today(18th Sept), the apex court reiterated that it would not remove from its cause list the pleas filed against the practice of political parties promising freebies.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized the significance of the matter. Ashwini Upadhyay, a lawyer and petitioner behind the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), urged the court to hear the case since it had already been listed in the day’s business.
Upadhyay pointed out that the case was on the list and needed the court’s attention. However, since the bench was engaged with another part-heard matter, it appeared unlikely that the PILs concerning political freebies would be taken up for immediate hearing. Despite this, Upadhyay insisted that the matter be retained on the list for future deliberation.
“This will not be deleted (from the cause list),”
– Chief Justice Chandrachud assured, stressing that the issues at hand were “very important.”
This case concerning political freebies had last been mentioned for an urgent hearing earlier this year on March 20. Upadhyay, in his plea, called for a stringent stance on the matter, urging the Election Commission (EC) to exercise its authority to penalize political parties involved in such practices.
Upadhyay sought a court directive for the Election Commission to freeze election symbols and cancel the registration of political parties that engage in offering irrational freebies to sway voters.
The plea argued that the promise of irrational freebies before elections is a severe breach of constitutional values. Upadhyay highlighted that these populist measures provide undue political favor and influence, compromising the democratic election process.
The plea said there should be a total ban on populist measures to gain undue political favor from voters as they violate the Constitution, and the EC should take suitable deterrent measures.
Additionally, the plea expressed concerns that promises of freebies disturb the level playing field between political contenders and adversely affect the integrity of the electoral process.
It also urged the court to declare that the promise of irrational freebies from public funds before elections unduly influences the voters, disturbs the level playing field, and vitiates the purity of the poll process.
Ashwini Upadhyay’s petition expressed strong opposition to the increasing trend of political parties leveraging freebies to influence elections, asserting that it is detrimental to democracy.
“The petitioner argues that the recent trend of political parties using freebies to influence voters poses a significant threat to democratic values and undermines the spirit of the Constitution.”
-the plea stated.
The plea further likened this practice to bribery, noting that it unfairly exploits public resources in a bid to secure power. Upadhyay stressed that it undermines democratic ethics and called for an end to this unethical practice.
“This unethical practice is akin to bribing voters with public funds to remain in power and must be avoided to uphold democratic principles.”
-it Said
The plea brought attention to the widespread nature of this issue. India currently has eight recognized national political parties and 56 recognized state-level parties. Moreover, there are approximately 2,800 registered but unrecognized political parties throughout the country.
With such a vast number of political entities competing for voter support, the petition highlighted the potential for rampant misuse of public funds through irrational freebies, which could lead to a severe compromise in the quality of democracy.
One of the central aspects of Upadhyay’s plea is the role that the Election Commission must play in regulating this unethical practice. The petitioner called for the EC to act decisively by freezing election symbols and revoking the registration of parties involved in promising irrational freebies.