The Supreme Court has declined to consider a petition that aimed to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from participating in elections.
The petition alleged that PM Modi made “hate speeches” and violated the Model Code of Conduct while campaigning. Justice Vikram Nath, heading the bench, explained to the petitioner’s lawyer that submitting such a plea directly to the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution is not permissible. Instead, they suggested that the petitioner address their concerns with the relevant authorities first.
Justices Vikram Nath and SC Sharma, part of the bench, gave the petitioner advice to resolve their issues by contacting the appropriate authorities. They said “Have you approached authorities? For writ of mandamus you must approach the authorities first.”
The petitioner, Fatima represented by Advocate Anand S Jondhale, withdrew the plea, leading to its dismissal.
The plea had sought a six-year disqualification of PM Modi from elections under the Representation of People Act, and the Supreme Court was reviewing this matter.
The petition claimed that PM Modi not only appealed for votes in the name of Hindu and Sikh deities and their places of worship but also criticized opposing political parties while showing favoritism towards Muslims.
On Monday, the Delhi High Court also dismissed a petition that requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to act against PM Modi for supposedly giving divisive speeches. The court statement said, “As such, at this stage, the present petition is wholly misconceived. In the circumstances, this Court finds no merit whatsoever in the present petition and the same is accordingly dismissed. I cannot micro manage ECI on how they shall deal with it. They are in the middle of dealing with it. We cannot presume they would not do anything.”
