The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): The Supreme Court has ruled that commitments made by political parties in their election manifestos do not constitute “corrupt practice” under election laws. This judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan while dismissing a plea challenging the election of a Congress candidate from Karnataka.
The petitioner, a voter from the Chamarajpet Assembly segment in Bengaluru, alleged that the promises made by the Congress in their 2023 Karnataka Assembly election manifesto, which included financial assistance to the public, amounted to corrupt electoral practices.
However, the Supreme Court rejected this claim, stating, “The contention that commitments by a political party in its manifesto, which eventually lead to direct or indirect financial help to the public at large, will also amount to corrupt practice by a candidate of that party, is too far-fetched and cannot be accepted.”
The petition was filed by Shashanka J. Sreedhara against the winning Congress candidate B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan. Sreedhara argued that the five guarantees made by the Indian National Congress (INC) in its manifesto should be considered corrupt practices.
The Karnataka High Court had previously dismissed similar claims, stating that policy announcements by political parties in their manifestos cannot be considered corrupt behavior under Section 123 of the Representation of Peoples Act. The High Court emphasized, “The five guarantees of the Indian National Congress have to be considered as social welfare policies. Whether they are financially viable or not is a different aspect.”
The High Court further noted, “It is for other parties to demonstrate how the implementation of these schemes might lead to state bankruptcy and misgovernance. While such policies could be debated as wrong under specific circumstances, they do not amount to corrupt practices.”