Supreme Court Seeks Response On Petition Against Election Freebies

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Central Government and the Election Commission regarding a new petition on freebies. The court has attached this petition to an existing one. Filed by Shashank Shri Dhar from Karnataka, the petition is currently being heard by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Mishra.

Petition Calls Freebies a Form of Bribery

The petition demands that announcements of free schemes made just before elections be classified as bribery. It argues that such actions serve to unduly influence voters. Additionally, it seeks a ban on the announcement of free schemes not only from the government but also from all political parties.

With upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, political parties are already making populist promises. Ruling parties in both states have pledged to provide cash of up to Rs 2,000 monthly to women, along with potential toll tax exemptions.

Previous Petition Highlights Broader Concerns

This is not the first petition addressing this issue. In 2022, BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay filed a petition regarding free seeds. That petition called for a complete ban on populist measures intended to gain unfair political advantage. It contended that these measures violate the Constitution and urged the Election Commission to take preventive actions.

The current petition echoes similar concerns. It states that promises of irrational freebies from public funds before elections disrupt equal opportunity and compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

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