Delhi High Court Rejects PIL on Election Schemes; Supreme Court to Examine

The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL challenging political cash schemes during elections, citing Supreme Court involvement. The petitioner claims these schemes are unconstitutional and could manipulate elections, suggesting privacy violations by political parties collecting voter data. The court has allowed the approach to the Supreme Court for further grievances.

The Delhi High Court has declined to admit a public interest litigation filed by retired Justice SN Dhingra, which challenges the legality of cash-oriented schemes announced by political parties during the Delhi Assembly elections. The bench, consisting of Justices Devender Kumar Upadhyay and Tushar Rao Gedela, highlighted that the Supreme Court is currently reviewing similar issues related to election freebies.

The court stated that conducting parallel inquiries would be inappropriate. Nevertheless, it has allowed the petitioner to take the matter to the Supreme Court. Justice Dhingra's petition argued that the schemes threaten the integrity of elections and may constitute voter manipulation.

The plea also sought directives for the Election Commission to prevent political parties such as the BJP, INC, and AAP from improperly collecting and using voter data. The petition, filed through advocates Amit Grover, Siddhartha Borgohain, and Harshvardhan Sharma, alleges electoral corruption and privacy rights violations under Article 21, asserting that political parties function as state entities due to their public roles.