Supreme Court Declares Freebie Promises by Political Parties as 'Very Important' Issue

The Supreme Court has deemed the issue of political parties promising freebies during elections as highly significant and maintained that it will not reject pleas filed against the practice. PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay called for the Election Commission to take stringent actions, including freezing election symbols and canceling registrations of parties involved in such practices.

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, emphasized the significance of addressing the issue of political parties offering freebies during election campaigns, asserting it will not dismiss the pending pleas against this practice.

Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, confirmed that the hearings would not be dropped from the cause list despite the bench being occupied with other matters. PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay urged the court to ensure these pleas remain on the docket for future hearing dates.

Upadhyay's plea urges the Election Commission to employ its authority to freeze election symbols and deregister political parties that promise irrational freebies, arguing such actions violate the Constitution and compromise democratic integrity. The plea highlights the broad number of political parties involved, calling for an end to these unethical practices to preserve fair poll processes.

(With inputs from agencies.)