New Delhi, 25.1.2022 (Tuesday)
Promise of Irrational Freebies Before
Polls A ‘Serious Issue’: Supreme Court Issues Notice to Centre, Election
Commission
New Delhi: Coming down heavily on the Election Commission and
the Centre, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asserted that the promise of freebies
before assembly elections is a ‘serious issue’. The court made the observations
while hearing a PIL seeking a direction to seize the election symbol and
de-register the political party that promises or distributes irrational
freebies from public funds before elections.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V
Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli sought the response in four weeks
on the PIL filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay. “I want to
know how to control this legally. Can this be done during these elections? It
has to be for the next election. It’s a serious issue. The freebies budget goes
beyond the regular budget”, India Today quoted CJI NV Ramana as saying.