Parties should not give tickets to candidates with criminal past: ECI to SC

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) told the Supreme Court on Friday that the direction asking poll candidates to declare their criminal antecedents in the media has not helped curb criminalisation of politics, and said political parties should be asked not to give tickets to those with criminal background.

Despite the Apex Court's direction in 2018, the criminalisation of politics is going on and some alternate mechanism has to be found, the EC said.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat asked the poll panel to come up with a framework within one week which can help curb criminalisation of politics in nation's interest.

It asked BJP leader and advocate-petitioner Ashiwini Upadhyay and the EC to sit together and come up with suggestions which would help curb criminalisation of politics.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the EC, said the poll panel has taken several steps to stop criminalisation of politics.