HYDERABAD: Even after the Supreme Court directed the political parties to upload on their websites the reasons for selecting candidates with criminal antecedents, no political party in the State has complied with the directive with respect to the candidates selected to contest the Assembly elections in 2018 or in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
A bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices RF Nariman and Ravindra Bhat on Thursday directed the political parties to comply with its order within 48 hours of the finalisation of the candidates. The order was delivered on a contempt case that the Election Commission of India failed to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court in 2018.
However, in what seemed a consolation, the political parties in the State advertised the list of criminal cases filed against their candidates in local newspapers during the elections in 2018. But they failed to provide the reasons for choosing them as candidates to contest the polls.
Though some political parties are quite active on social media, most of them do not have a website. However, they are tight-lipped over the issue.
The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) Telangana in-charge, Y Rajendra Prasad, welcomed the Supreme Court directions. “The apex court directive will help the public know the criminal antecedents of the candidates,” he said.
It may be recalled here that the ADR report released after the Assembly elections in December 2018 had stated that 73 of total 119 MLAs have criminal record. According to the report, of the 73 MLAs, 47 have serious criminal cases against them, including cases related to attempt to murder, crime against women and others.
Meanwhile, in its orders, the Supreme Court on Thursday said the political parties would be liable for contempt if they fail to comply with its order. The Election Commission of India was asked to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court if the political parties fail to upload on their websites the candidates’ criminal record. The apex court also directed the political parties to publish the credentials, achievements and criminal antecedents of candidates on newspapers, the social media platforms and on their websites, while giving reasons for their selection.