Krishnadas Rajagopal NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court on July 26 orally asked the Centre to find out from the Finance Commission whether there is a way to curb political parties from promising and distributing “irrational freebies” during election campaigns.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana flagged the issue as “serious” and asked for means to control the promise of “freebies” to entice voters. The court did not receive a clear-cut answer from Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj on the Centre’s position. “You take a stand whether freebies should continue or not,” the Chief Justice addressed Mr. Nataraj.
The Election Commission of India (ECI), on the other hand, chose a hands-off approach, as was evident from its affidavit which said “whether such policies are financially viable or its adverse effect on the economic health of the State is a question that has to be considered and decided by the voters of the State”.
The court finally turned to senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in the courtroom waiting for another case. “Mr. Sibal, you are an experienced Parliamentarian and a lawyer… Can you suggest something here. How to control these freebies?” the CJI asked.
Mr. Sibal said freebies was a “serious issue” and had to be tackled at the level of the States. It would be unfair to put the liability on the Centre. He suggested tapping into the expertise of the Finance Commission.
https://epaper.thehindu.com/Home/MShareArticle?OrgId=GCPA31KQC.1&imageview=0
അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളൊന്നുമില്ല:
ഒരു അഭിപ്രായം പോസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്യൂ