Maneka, Azam also ‘censured’ as SC ticks off poll panel for not acting on leaders over hate speeches
Lok Sabha Election 2019: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday “censured” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Union minister Maneka Gandhi for their allegedly communal remarks. It barred Adityanath from campaigning for 72 hours, and Gandhi and Mayawati for 48 hours each. The EC also reprimanded Samajwadi Party’s Rampur candidate Azam Khan for his indecent remarks against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Jaya Prada. Khan too cannot campaign for 72 hours. The four orders come into effect on Tuesday morning.
The EC action came in the wake of the Supreme Court earlier in the day expressing its displeasure at the poll panel not taking action against political leaders for communal and hate speeches. The apex court decided to examine the ambit of the Election Commission (EC)’s powers following its submission it was “toothless”. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, hearing a PIL (public interest litigation) petition on the subject, was irked enough to threaten to ask that the chief election commissioner be present before the Bench within half an hour.
“So what about Mayawati? She was supposed to reply to you (poll panel) by April 12. She has not replied till today. What does the law permit you to do in such cases? Answer us!” said the Bench, also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. EC counsel said: “The power of the EC in this behalf is very limited. We can issue notice and seek reply but we cannot de-recognise a party or disqualify a candidate … we can only issue advisories and in the case of a repeat offence, register a complaint.”
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