Facebook Twitter Instagram WhatsApp
    Trending
    • Mhadei Row: RESIGN, says Opposition to Goa CM
    • CM in Troubled Mhadei Waters Again as Amit Shah Says Goa Was Part of Decision To Divert Mhadei
    • Toyota Kirloskar Motor commences bookings for the New Innova Crysta
    • Mitsubishi Electric India showcased its technological advancements and innovative CNC solutions for Machine Tool Industry in IMTEX-2023
    • Eight Goa Turncoats Left At Lurch By BJP, CM?
    • LUCKY ESCAPE: Passenger bus turns turtle at Bethora; Several injured
    • Operation Jagruti launched to curb street crime
    • Goa Police arrested two interstate chain snatchers/house burglars
    Login
    Saturday, January 28
    Goemkarponn – Goa NewsGoemkarponn – Goa News
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    ePaper
    • Home
    • Goa News
    • Business
    • Political News
    • Local News
    • Goemkar Special
    • More
      • Top News
      • Sports
      • Page 3
      • Crime
      • Snippets
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Health
      • Off Beat
    • Video News
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    Goemkarponn – Goa NewsGoemkarponn – Goa News
    Home»Goa News

    ‘Irrational freebies’ by political parties irk SC

    adminBy adminJanuary 29, 2022Updated:August 12, 2022 Goa News No Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Goemkarponn desk
    PANAJI: The Supreme Court sought responses from the Union government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the continued ‘tamasha’ of political parties promising or distributing ‘irrational freebies’ using public funds.
    A Bench of Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli issued notice to the Centre and the top poll body on a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, to issue stringent guidelines to deregister the errant political parties and seize their election symbols.
    “The ‘tamasha’ has been going on for decades. Promises always remain as promises. Most of them, except freebies, are not implemented,” the petition said and contended that the offer of these freebies amounted to bribery and undue influence.
    The court, however, drew a skeptical note about how Mr. Upadhyay, in his petition, named only a few, select political parties and States. Mr. Upadhyay said he did not mean to target only a few parties and offered to make all political parties respondents in the petition.
    “This is no doubt a serious issue. The budget for freebies seems to go beyond the regular budget… sometimes it is not a level playing field for some parties… How can we manage or control this?” the CJI asked about the question of law involved in the issue.
    The court said it would start, for the time being, by issuing notice to the Centre and the ECI, which have been named respondents now. The court listed the case after four weeks.
    In the hearing, Mr. Singh submitted that parties, even in debt-ridden States, were promising/distributing these freebies to garner votes and to create an uneven playing field before the elections.
    Mr. Singh said the election commission’s guidelines on the freebies, issued after a Supreme Court judgment in the Subramaniam Balaji case, reported in 2013, were “toothless”.
    ‘Purity of election process’
    “Promise/distribution of irrational freebies from public fund before election unduly influences the voters, shakes the roots of free-fair election, disturbs level playing field, vitiates the purity of election process and also violates Articles 14, 162, 266(3) and 282,” the plea said.
    It highlighted how the ECI had held a meeting with the political parties and issued guidelines which mandated that their election manifestos should not contain anything repugnant to the Model Code of Conduct.
    The ECI had said that though the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution enjoined upon the State to frame various welfare measures for the citizens and, therefore, there could be no objection to the promise of such welfare measures in election manifestos, political parties should “avoid making promises which are likely to vitiate the purity of the election process or exert undue influence on the voters in exercising their franchise”.
    In the interest of transparency, level playing field and credibility of promises, the election body had expected poll manifestos to “reflect the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirements for it. Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises that can be fulfilled”.
    Mr. Singh submitted that arbitrary promises of irrational freebies violated the ECI’s mandate for free and fair elections, and distributing private goods-services, which were not for public purposes, from public funds clearly violated the Constitution.
    Rather than promising better rule of law, equal pay for equal work, clean water, equal quality education, quality healthcare, quality infrastructure, speedy justice, free legal aid, citizen charter, judicial charter, efficient police system, effective administrative system, political parties arbitrarily promised irrational freebies from public fund, he argued.
    “The fulcrum of democracy is the electoral process. If the integrity of electoral process is compromised then the notion of representation becomes vacuous. Distribution of money and promise of freebies has reached alarming levels with elections being countermanded several times,” the petition said.

    Comment

    admin

    Keep Reading

    CM in Troubled Mhadei Waters Again as Amit Shah Says Goa Was Part of Decision To Divert Mhadei

    Govt to assit to enhance happiness index: CM

    Govt ready to provide required infra to build the future of students: CM

    BBC documentary on PM is conspiracy against India: Goa Governor

    Goa Govt in process of reconstructing historic Nanus Fort, says CM Sawant

    Rs 1000 contribution for charity event, not Republic Day: Collector South Goa

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Archives
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    Categories
    • Big Story
    • Business News
    • Cricket
    • Crime
    • Football
    • Goa News
    • Goemkar Special
    • Health
    • India News
    • Local News
    • Off Beat
    • Opinion
    • Page 3
    • Photos
    • Political News
    • Snippets
    • Sports
    • Top News
    • Trending
    About
    About

    The Goemkarponn digital media platform gives you the latest news of the Goa Region. To read Goemkarponn News on your mobile, download our Android App (Goemkarponn News App).

    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube WhatsApp
    LINKS
    • Local News
    • Goa News
    • Political News
    • Goemkar Special
    ADVERTISEMENT
    AVAILABLE AD BANNER
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    Goemkarponn © 2023 - Powered by Xperts!.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsAccept
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?