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The apex court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India and has asked it to respond to the plea by October 18.
The Supreme Court today issued notice in a plea against usage of religious symbols by political parties. Filed by one Syed Waseem Rizvi, the plea also sought cancellation of the symbol or name of such parties which symbolise any religion.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and Krishna Murari issued notice to the Election Commission of India and the Central government in the plea.
Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia, appearing for the petitioner, submitted before the top court today that such usage of symbols violates the provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951. Bhatia further told the court that political parties cannot have a religious connotation.
The plea submitted that using religion for luring voters is strictly prohibited under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act. It stated that Section 123 defines what all shall be deemed to be corrupt practices for the purposes of the Act of 1951.
Before issuing notice, the top court remarked that many parties like Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) may use religious symbols but they do not contest elections.
Responding to this statement, Senior Advocate Bhatia said that this presumption was incorrect, as IUML had MLAs & MPs from Kerala, attributing elections to religious communities.
Case Title: Syed Waseem Rizvi vs. Election Commission of India and Anr.
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