IUML seeks dismissal of petition filed to ban political parties from using religious symbols

A petition filed in Supreme Court to bar political parties from using religious name and symbols has created a flutter. one of the party Named Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) filed an Affidavit in Apex court and paryed that petition should be didmissed.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) submits in its affidavit that, another writ petition titled “Ashwini Upadhyay V. Union of India and Another” raising the same subject matter is pending before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi. In that petition also a similar prayer has been made wherein the petitioner has sought to review political parties which are registered with religious names-connotations and de-register them in the event they fail to rename their party within 3 months.

IUML pryed in his affidavid filed in Supreme Court that the writ petition ought to be dismissed in limine for non joinder of necessary parties’. It said that, “while the Petitioner prays for a direction directing the Election Commission of India to cancel the symbol or name allotted to the political parties which in any way symbolise to any religion, the potentially affected political entities have not been arrayed as parties to the petition.” It must be noted that in the earlier hearing, the court had asked the petitioners to implead those political parties against which reliefs have been sought.

The affidavit further submits that, the real name of Petitioner is Jitendra Narayan Tyagi aka Waseem Rizvi who was arrested in a case of hate speeches made at the Dharm Sansad which was organised between the 17th and 19th December, 2021. “The Petitioner is a religious fanatic who thrives on fomenting enmity between individuals on the ground of religion and his hatred towards minorities in the country is a well documented fact. It is submitted that this Hon’ble Court ought to take judicial note of this fact, dismiss the present petition in as much as the Petitioner is not a bona fide public interest litigant.