Supreme Court to review Election Commission’s clean chit for PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah

The Supreme Court will examine the Election Commission orders giving clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah on their poll code violations on Wednesday. The development came after Congress Party MP Sushmita Dev alleged EC of double standards in dealing with complaints of similar nature against other political figures.

There were a total of 11 complaints filed by Congress party against PM Modi and Shah on their speeches during the election campaign, since April 1. With the Court setting a deadline last week for the EC to dispose the complaints by Monday, Dev’s lawyer senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, that the order was complied with.

Though Dev’s petition only required the complaints to be expeditiously decided, nothing survived in it. But on Monday, Singhvi argued that beyond the petition, an issue still survived on the manner in which EC chose to dispose complaints against leaders who are powerful, prominent, or hold high offices.

The petition questioned the almost three-week delay by EC to dispose their complaints. Finally, when it was decided, it neither contained reasons nor the dissent expressed by one of the Election Commissioners in five out of six complaints was made available. He further levelled the charge of identical words used in election speeches by candidates or political leaders during the present elections which invited punishment from EC but the same remarks fetched clean chit for PM and Shah.

The bench of CJI Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta said, “The said orders (of EC) be brought on record,” while listing the petition for hearing on May 8.  Dev’s petition classified the complaints and PM Modi and Shah under three categories – hate speeches made with reference to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Muslim dominated seat of Wayanad in Kerala, using Army and Air Force during political campaign, and election campaign by PM Modi at the polling booth on April 23 after casting his vote. As per the petition, each of these actions amounted to an electoral offence. As regards reference to Army and Air Force, it violated a March 19 circular of EC. 

RAJIV GANDHI REMARK

The Congress moved the Election Commission yet again on Monday seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using “derogatory” language against late PM Rajiv Gandhi in his May 4 address.