Plea in Delhi high court to bar PM Modi from polls

NEW DELHI:

Delhi HC

listed for hearing on Friday a

PIL

that seeks

disqualification

of PM Narendra

Modi

from contesting elections for allegedly violating MCC during his campaign speech in UP’s Pilibhit on April 9.
The petition, filed by advocate Anand S Jondhale last week, accuses Modi of seeking votes in the name of “god and place of worship”, and making references to “Hindu deities and Hindu place of worship as well as Sikh deities and Sikh place of worship”.

The plea, referring to news reports, calls for an immediate ban of six years from contesting elections against Modi, citing violations of the poll code’s provisions.
Invoking Representation of People’s Act, Jondhale contended that the rules clearly state that no party or candidate shall engage in any activity that may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes or communities, religious or linguistic.
“That Respondent No.2 [Modi] said that he has constructed the Ram Temple. He also stated that he developed Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and removed GST from material used in Langars served in Gurudwaras. The Respondent No.2 also said that he had brought back the copies of Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan,” the petition submits, seeking direction to the Election Commission.
The petitioner argued that he approached HC since ECI took no action on his complaint to register FIR against PM Modi under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups) of IPC and to disqualify him.