Delhi High Court Addresses PIL on Political Spam Calls

The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of making political spam calls during elections. The court stated that the Election Commission has already addressed this issue and ordered an investigation. The plea highlights concerns over privacy rights and democratic integrity.

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of making political spam calls regarding freebies and distributing inflammatory material during assembly elections. The court noted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has acknowledged the complaint and directed the Chief Election Officer to conduct an investigation.

A division bench, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, emphasized that the State Election Officer and District Electoral Officers are tasked with monitoring and preventing the dissemination of any material that could compromise the election process. The court rejected requests to postpone the elections, citing a lack of valid grounds, and expressed confidence in the actions being taken to preserve electoral integrity.

Representing the ECI, Advocate Sidhant Kumar informed the court of the cognizance taken regarding the petitioner's complaint. He mentioned that guidelines for the investigation have been forwarded to the Chief Election Officer. This PIL, filed by several petitioners, argues that the public domain is being saturated with spam calls from political entities, violating citizens' privacy rights and affecting their unbiased decision-making in elections.

(With inputs from agencies.)