Hearing freebies issue for welfare of country: Supreme Court

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New
Delhi,
Aug
23:
Chief
Justice
of
India,
N
V
Ramana
said
that
freebies
is
an
important
issue
that
needs
to
be
debated.
The
CJI
said
that
the
Supreme
Court
is
hearing
the
matter
for
the
welfare
of
the
country.

Justice
Ramana
wondered
if
the
Centre
made
a
law
prohibiting
states
from
doling
out
freebies
would
be
open
to
judicial
scrutiny.

On
August
11
the
court
observed
that
freebies
and
social
welfare
schemes
are
two
different
things.
It
also
ruled
out
the
possibility
of
considering
a
plea
for
de-recognising
parties
for
making
promises
to
give
freebies.

Dolo-650
makers
gave
freebies
worth
Rs
1,000
crore
to
doctors
for
prescribing
tablet:
SC
told

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,
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,
a
PTI
report
said.

Freebies:
The
truth
is
somewhere
between
evil
and
necessity

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.