The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea aiming to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from participating in elections due to alleged hate speeches and violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during campaigning.
Court’s Observations
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and S C Sharma advised the petitioner to seek redressal from the appropriate authorities.
“Have you approached the authorities? For a writ of mandamus, you must first approach the authorities,” the bench remarked.
Subsequently, the petitioner withdrew the plea, leading to its dismissal by the court.
The plea, filed by Fatima through Advocate Anand S Jondhale, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disqualify Modi from elections for six years under the Representation of People Act.
Similar Plea in Delhi HC
It is noteworthy that a similar petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court.
On 13th May, the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea which sought direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly delivering communally divisive speeches during Lok Sabha poll campaigning, citing a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.