NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday announced that it would soon hear a batch of petitions challenging the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections, describing the issue as "very important."
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was approached by lawyer and Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petitioner, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
Upadhyay informed the bench that the pleas were already listed for the day’s business, but due to time constraints, they could not be addressed.
Upadhyay urged the bench to ensure that the PILs on freebies remained on the board for hearing at a later date. He noted that the court was already handling another part-heard matter, making it unlikely that the PILs would be heard on Wednesday. The bench assured him that the pleas would be taken up, although no specific date was set for the hearing.
Upadhyay’s plea calls for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seize election symbols and deregister political parties that promise to distribute freebies using public funds during election campaigns. According to the plea, if political parties seek to gain undue favour by adopting such measures, there should be a complete ban on them.
The plea also argues that these freebies violate the Constitution, and the Election Commission should take appropriate deterrent action against political parties and leaders involved in such activities.
The Supreme Court, in an earlier hearing, had emphasised the need for a broader debate on the issue of freebies promised during elections and referred the matter to a three-judge bench.
The plea further contends that political parties arbitrarily promising irrational freebies for wrongful gain is akin to bribery and undue influence. "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," the plea stated.