SC issues notices to govt, ECI over distribution of freebies in elections

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections, the Supreme Court issued notices to the central government and the Election Commission of India (ECI). The apex court has called out political parties for distributing freebies during campaigning and called this a “serious issue”. The apex court has issued notices to the Centre and the ECI seeking directions to seize election symbols and deregister political parties that promised to offer irrational freebies at the public’s expense.
 
Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramanna noted that the court had urged the ECI to frame guidelines regarding the same but nothing has been done as of yet. “This is a serious issue. The freebies’ budget goes beyond the actual budget. This affects elections,” CJ Ramanna said. The top court is likely to hear the matter in 4 weeks.
 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the ECI for setting a benchmark in electoral processes for various countries. “India is one of the countries where the Election Commission (EC) can issue notices to people, transfer officials. Our EC and election process set a benchmark for various countries,” Prime Minister Modi said while interacting with the Page Samiti members from Gujarat via the Namo app.
 
(With inputs from Aneesha Mathur)