Supreme Court issues notice to Center and State on rules of registration of political parties
Supreme Court issued notice to Center and State on rules of registration and regulation of political parties in India
New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and Election Commission of India (ECI) on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to frame rules for political parties.
The rules were to modulate registration and regulation of political parties, in order to ensure secularism, transparency, and political justice. The Supreme Court seeks Centre and ECI response in four weeks.
The Supreme Court further asked the petitioner to implead all registered political parties in the case. The petition also sought direction to the Centre to take steps to reduce the menace of corruption, casteism and criminalization in politics.
This comes close to heels to the recent appeal in the Supreme Court in the Bihar SIR case, in which the Apex court directed that the Aadhaar card must be treated as the 12th document for the purpose of identity to include voters in the Bihar SIR exercise.
According to reports, the Supreme Court however said it has clarified that authorities shall be entitled to verify the authenticity and genuineness of the Aadhaar card itself. It shall not be accepted as the proof of citizenship.
Further, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission of India to issue instructions about the acceptance of the Aadhaar card as the 12th document to its officials.
It is worth mentioning here that the Supreme Court on August 22 expressed surprise over political parties’ inaction on the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar. The Apex Court urged the parties to come forward with the correction of names of deleted voters in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar.
