Supreme Court to Election Commission: Resolve all cases related to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah by Monday 

The Supreme Court of India.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Thursday, told the Election Commission that all Congress’s complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on violations of the election model code of conduct should be resolved by Monday, May 6. The Congress leaders accused the poll body of delaying its decision in cases related to the PM and the BJP chief. They also accused that the commission handing out prompt penalties to opposition leaders.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the party has made 11 complaints against the Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, but the commission has taken decision only on two so far. The poll body has given a clean chit to the Narendra Modi in both the cases.

Singhvi added that the congress did not get a reasoned order in these cases.

The commission assured the court that it would take a decision on the rest of the cases by Wednesday. However, the bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi declined to give extra time. 

The commission argued that it needs more time as it has to get the entire transcript of their election speeches from the ground and the same time it has to conduct the elections, but the court did not accept such argument.

Interestingly, the top court has repeatedly pressed the poll panel throughout this election to take action on the alleged violations of the model code.

Notably, upset by a series of violations of the model code of conduct by the leaders, the court had pulled up the commission in April and asked if it was “toothless” and “powerless” to act against hate speeches. The court had then questioned whether the EC was even aware of its powers.

After the Supreme Court rapped the Election Commission, the poll body acted on hate speeches and other MCC violations and banned some of the leaders including Mayawati, Yogi Adityanath, Maneka Gandhi, Azam Khan and Pragya Singh Thakur from electioneering for some time. Interestingly, the poll body had banned a biopic as well as web series on Narendra Modi until the election is over.

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