SC adjourns hearing on ‘freebies’ by political parties for Aug 20

India

oi-Prakash KL

New
Delhi,
Aug
17:
The
Supreme
Court
adjourned
for
Monday
the
hearing
of
a
plea
against
promises
by
political
parties
to
distribute
freebies
from
public
funds
during
election
campaigns.

The
apex
court,
while
asking
the
parties
to
file
their
suggestion
by
Saturday,
said
the
concern
is
about
spending
the
public
money
in
the
right
way.

The
top
court
was
hearing
a
PIL
filed
by
lawyer
Ashwini
Upadhyay,
which
opposes
the
practice
of
political
parties
promising
freebies
during
elections
and
seeks
the
Election
Commission
to
invoke
its
powers
to
freeze
their
election
symbols
and
cancel
their
registration.

Freebies:
The
truth
is
somewhere
between
evil
and
necessity

Observing
that
freebies
and
social
welfare
schemes
are
two
different
things,
the
Supreme
Court
had
earlier
said
a
balance
has
to
be
struck
between
the
economy
losing
money
and
welfare
measures.

It
also
ruled
out
the
possibility
of
considering
a
plea
for
de-recognising
parties
for
making
promises
to
give
freebies.

Asking
stakeholders
to
give
suggestions
on
this
aspect
before
August
17,
a
bench
comprising
Chief
Justice
N
V
Ramana
and
Justice
Krishna
Murari
said
the
idea
to
de-recognise
political
parties
for
making
promises
to
give
irrational
freebies
during
the
polls
was
undemocratic
.

“I
do
not
want
to
enter
the
area
of
de-registering
a
political
party
etc.
as
it
is
an
undemocratic
idea…We
are
a
democracy
after
all,”
the
CJI,
speaking
for
the
bench,
had
said.

The
CJI
said
the
issue
of
promise
to
grant
irrational
freebies
during
the
poll
process
is
a
serious
issue
but
he
will
not
encroach
into
the
legislative
domain
even
if
there
was
a
statutory
vacuum
on
the
issue.

Providing
quality
education
not
a
‘freebie’:
Arvind
Kejriwal’s
message
to
Centre

You
can
call
me
reluctant
or
conservative
but
I
do
not
want
to
encroach
upon
the
legislative
domain…I
am
a
strict
orthodox.
I
do
not
want
to
encroach
on
the
areas
meant
for
the
legislature.
This
is
a
serious
issue.
It
is
not
an
easy
thing.
Let
us
hear
others
also,
the
bench
said.

The
CJI,
who
is
demitting
office
on
August
26,
said
some
suggestions
have
been
made
by
senior
lawyers
and
asked
the
remaining
parties
to
do
the
needful
before
his
retirement
and
fixed
the
case
for
further
hearing
on
August
17.

Freebies
and
the
social
welfare
scheme
are
different…Economy
losing
the
money
and
the
welfare
of
people,
both
have
to
be
balanced
and
that
is
why,
this
debate.
There
must
be
someone
who
can
put
their
vision
and
thoughts.
Please
submit
something
before
my
retirement,
the
CJI
said.

The
poll
panel,
in
its
August
10
additional
affidavit,
told
the
Supreme
Court
that
it
welcomed
the
suggestion
of
setting
up
an
expert
panel
to
brainstorm
the
issue
of
freebies
announced
during
elections,
but
it,
being
a
constitutional
authority
,
be
not
made
part
of
it
which
may
have
some
government
bodies.

It
also
referred
to
the
reported
strong
oral
observations
of
the
top
court
against
it
during
the
last
hearing
on
the
PIL
on
the
issue,
saying
they
have
caused
irreparable
damage
to
the
reputation
of
this
institution
built
over
the
years’
‘.

On
August
3,
the
top
court,
while
asking
stakeholders
like
the
Centre,
Niti
Aayog,
Finance
Commission
to
brainstorm
on
the
issue
of
freebies,
had
hinted
that
it
may
order
setting
up
a
mechanism
for
suggesting
measures
to
the
government
to
deal
with
the
issue.

The
Election
Commission
and
the
government
cannot
say
that
we
cannot
do
anything
about
this.
They
have
to
consider
the
issue
and
give
suggestions,
the
bench
had
said.

Fact
Check:
Has
SC
ordered
taxpayers’
group
which
will
decide
on
election
freebies?

Earlier
on
July
26,
the
bench
had
termed
as
“serious”
the
promise
of
“irrational
freebies”
made
by
political
parties
during
elections
and
wondered
why
the
Centre
was
hesitant
about
taking
a
stand
on
the
issue.

The
top
court
had
on
January
25
sought
replies
from
the
Centre
and
the
Election
Commission
on
the
PIL,
filed
by
lawyer
and
BJP
leader
Ashwini
Upadhyay,
seeking
direction
to
seize
the
symbol
or
deregister
a
political
party
that
promises
or
distributes
“irrational
freebies”
before
polls,
saying
it
is
a
“serious
issue”
as
sometimes
freebie
budget
is
going
beyond
regular
budget
.