SC admits plea to bar chargesheeted netas from contesting polls 5 Judge bench to decide
Source: The Sangai Express / Times Now, Agencies
New Delhi, January 05 2017:
The Supreme Court on Thursday admitted BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay's petition that seeks that politicians who have been chargesheeted should not be allowed to contest elections.
"Corruption, criminali-zation, communalization, casteism and nepotism have trampled the true character of Indian democracy," the BJP leader's plea states.
"Money power, muscle power and mafia power- also play a crucial role in election processes, and people, the ultimate source of power in a democracy, are pushed to the periphery of the system" .
Ahead of crucial upcoming Assembly polls in five States, Supreme Court has stated that it will be constituting a five-Judge bench to decide questions like whether people facing trial in serious crime cases can be allowed to contest and at which stage of trial, a lawmaker would stand disqualified.
The BJP leader's plea adds that if citizens do not have faith in the way our elected representatives are chosen, there is danger to the very idea of democracy itself.
"Widely held views among the public with regard to criminalisation of politics, the use of money power in securing votes, the paid-news disease are some of the issues that are enlarging the trust deficit with regard to our elections.
This needs to be stemmed at the earliest and in a clear and transparent manner to regain the trust," the plea adds.
The plea also states that it is embarrassing that many times, a lawbreaker has become a lawmaker and is given police protection.
"There have been several instances of persons charged with serious and heinous crimes like murder, rape, dacoity etc, contested election during pendency of trial, and even getting elected too.
This leads to a very undesirable and embarrassing situation of lawbreaker becoming lawmaker and moving around under police protection," the plea says.