New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission (EC) on a plea seeking to declare election freebies as a form of ‘bribe’.
A petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara challenges the practice of political parties offering freebies during campaigns, claiming it burdens the public exchequer and lacks accountability.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has asked for responses from both the government and the EC. The petition argues that such promises during elections amount to bribery and violate constitutional principles.