New Delhi : The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a writ petition to make certain electoral malpractices as cognizable offence with minimum two years of imprisonment as pressed by the Election Commission since 1992.
In the petition listed before the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay has stated such a stern punishment should be ordered in cases of the electoral offences like bribery in elections, impersonation, undue influence, false statements with regard to an election, illegal payments and the candidates’ failure to keep the election accounts and not filing them as already required under the law. He has pleaded the offences have appalling effect on free and fair election. He has also pleaded the fine of up to Rs 500 was irrational.