Prior the elections, the SC requests a response from Rajasthan and MP

 Prior the elections, the SC requests a response from Rajasthan and MP

In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the distribution of freebies during elections, the top court on Friday issued notices to the center, the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as the Election Commission of India.

According to the PIL, cash and other goodies are given out at the taxpayers' cost. A bench comprised of Justices JB Pardiwala, Manoj Mishra, and Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud heard the PIL. The bench gave the Center, States, and poll panel four weeks to respond.

Bhattulal Jain, a social worker, filed the PIL in an effort to have broad regulations in place that would prevent political parties from giving away money and other goodies at the cost of taxpayers. The PIL must now be marked with a pending plea on the matter, the court further ruled.

Pre-election pledges are "wasting away taxpayer money."

On the eve of elections, the petition asked that state and federal administrations be instructed to refrain from misusing grants or consolidated funds in the name of the general welfare.

Additionally, it was claimed in the petition that political parties were "frittering away taxpayers' money" by making such pre-election pledges.

It further requested that the Supreme Court order and proclaim that offering or giving away nonsensical gifts from the public coffers in order to sway voters before to an election is akin to bribery and undue influence.

A distinction between what is in the public interest and what is not must be made, the attorney informed the bench. There is nothing more abhorrent than allowing the government to distribute money. These activities begin six months before the elections.

The petitioner emphasized how these gratis programmes eventually place a burden on India's tax-paying residents. When asked about pre-election pledges, CJI said, "All kinds of promises are made before elections, and we cannot control this."

The petition asked a set rule be followed by the state and federal administrations regarding the proclamation of free schemes before to elections.

No government, regardless of which one is in power, is permitted to announce free electricity, free water, free distribution, or debt waivers without the legislative assembly's consent. Since the funds are our taxpayers' property, they need to have the authority to oversee their utilization.