The apex court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, seeking a ban on political parties promising ‘freebies’ to lure voters in the run-up to elections.
The Supreme Court Thursday observed that promising and distribution of freebies by political parties during poll season is “a serious issue” as the economy is losing money due to this.
The apex court was hearing a PIL filed by laywer Ashwini Upadhyay, seeking a ban on political parties promising ‘freebies’ to lure voters in the run-up to elections. The plea asked for steps to be taken to regulate poll manifesto and make political parties accountable for promises made therein.
“Nobody says it is not a issue. It is a serious issue. Those who are getting they want it and ours is a welfare state. Some may say that they are paying taxes and it has to be used for developmental process. So its a serious issue. So both side has to be heard by committee,” – Chief Justice N V Ramana
The CJI also noted that India was a country “where there is poverty and the central government also has plans to feed hungry” and said that the economy was losing money and that “people’s welfare has to be balanced.”
The court will next hear the plea on August 17.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opposed the plea and said that “schemes for socioeconomic welfare of deserving and disadvantaged masses cannot be described as ‘freebies’”. The party also accused the petitioner — who it said has “strong links” to BJP — of “furthering a particular political agenda”.
Source: The Indian Express
