The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all political parties to upload on their website details of pending criminal cases against candidates contesting polls. The top court said that political parties will liable for contempt if they fail to comply with the order. A bench headed by Justice F Nariman ordered all political parties to publish credentials, achievements and criminal antecedents of candidates on newspaper, social media platforms and on their website while giving a reason for selection of candidate with criminal antecedents.

The apex court also asked the Election Commission of India to file contempt petition in Supreme Court if political parties don’t not comply with the order.

While pronouncing the order, the bench said it appears that there has been an alarming increase in criminalisation of politics in the last four general elections.

The Supreme Court was pronouncing its order on a contempt plea, which has raised the issue of criminalisation of politics and claimed that the directions given by the apex court in its September 2018 verdict relating to disclosure of criminal antecedents by poll candidates were not being followed.