SC notice to Centre, EC on fresh plea against freebies

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Union government and the Election Commission, seeking their response to a fresh petition challenging the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections. The move comes as concerns grow over the impact of such promises on public finances and electoral integrity.

A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, responded to a petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara. The petition, submitted through advocate Srinivasan, calls for the Election Commission to take effective measures to restrain political parties from making pre-election promises of freebies. The plea argues that “the unregulated promise of freebies imposes a significant and unaccounted financial burden on the public exchequer.” It further highlights the lack of mechanisms to ensure the fulfilment of pre-poll promises that secure votes.

This latest petition has been tagged with similar pleas, including one by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, which seeks a total ban on populist measures aimed at gaining undue political favour from voters. Upadhyay’s plea contends that such practices violate the Constitution and urges the Election Commission to implement suitable deterrent measures.

The petitioners argue that the promise of irrational freebies from public funds before elections unduly influences voters, disturbs the level playing field, and compromises the purity of the electoral process. They view this trend as “the greatest threat to

the survival of democratic values” and a violation of the Constitution’s spirit.Seeking to address this issue, the petitioners have requested the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission to modify the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968. The proposed change would add a condition prohibiting political parties from promising or distributing irrational freebies from public funds before elections.