“This seems motivated," Supreme Court asks petitioner to withdraw plea seeking disqualification of election candidates offering freebies

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A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and consisting of Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli today asked the petitioner to withdraw a plea filed by the Vice President of an organisation called Hindu Sena seeking the court to pass directions to disqualify the candidates of Congress, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party contesting in the Assembly Election, 2022 for offering freebies to induce public to vote for them.

When the matter came up for hearing the CJI remarked, “We feel it is motivated to selectively damage a particular group. It has some hidden agenda. Who are you?”

The advocate for the petitioner responded that he is the Vice President of Hindu Sena and a social worker. 

Justice Bopanna at this point remarked “Your petition mentions particular parties. It shows it has an agenda..”

The CJI asked the petitioner to either withdraw or suffer an imposition of costs, upon which the petitioner withdrew the petition.

The PIL also sought for Court’s directions to register an FIR against the above mentioned parties for inducing the electors/voters by making offer of gifts, goods, money from the public exchequer, if they are voted to form the state government in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur as they are offences under Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Cause Title: Surjit Singh Yadav vs Union of India