Delhi High Court Rejects Plea To Disqualify PM Narendra Modi From Contesting Elections

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking to disqualify Prime Minister Narendra Modi for six years for allegedly seeking votes for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the name of Hindu as well as Sikh deities and place of worships.The plea was moved by Anand S Jondhale, a lawyer by profession.The court was of the view that the plea is “throughly misconceived” since the petitioner had approached the court when the Election Commission was yet to take a call on his representation seeking similar relief. “Petitioner presupposes that there has been a violation of MCC. This is completely unjustified. The plea being devoid of merits is dismissed,” a bench of justice Sachin Datta said in the order.

The petitioner accused PM Modi of seeking votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the name of religious deities and places of worship during his campaign for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Petitioner Anand S Jondhale alleged that PM Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) while delivering a speech at Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit on April 9, Bar and Bench reported. The petitioner said that PM Modi not only sought votes in the name of Hindu and Sikh deities and their places of worship but also made comments against “opposite political parties as favouring Muslims," Live Law reported.

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“That the Petitioner further submits that the Respondent No.2 (Prime Minister Modi) is on the run of making the same violative speech throughout India while travelling in aircraft and helicopters of the Government of India," the plea states. Jondhale submitted that PM Modi's speeches "have the potential to create hatred amongst voters on the line of caste and religion", the report added.Referring to PM Modi's April 9 speech, Jondhale sought to restrain the prime minister from seeking votes in the “name of religious deities and places of worship". Jondhale had earlier filed a complaint before the Election Commission (EC) to register an FIR against PM Modi under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and to disqualify him. However, he alleged that no action has been taken by the poll body so far in the matter. Later, he filed the plea before the Delhi High Court.As per the Constitution, Section 153 A of the IPC has provisions to punish people who indulge in “wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc of any particular group or class or upon the founders and prophets of a religion".