Delhi High Court Petition Challenges Cash Schemes Ahead of Elections

Retired Justice SN Dhingra has filed a PIL in Delhi High Court against cash schemes by political parties before elections. It accuses parties of data misuse and election manipulation. The plea seeks Election Commission directives for fair practices and to strengthen monitoring of electoral conduct.

Retired Justice SN Dhingra has approached the Delhi High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), challenging the constitutionality of cash-oriented schemes announced by political parties in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections. According to the petition, such financial inducements undermine free and fair elections and amount to manipulation.

The PIL demands the Election Commission of India (ECI) to direct leading parties—the BJP, Indian National Congress (INC), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—to stop collecting voters' personal and electoral data under deceptive tactics. Furthermore, it calls for an order to prevent these parties from sharing or utilizing the data with third parties.

The plea, filed by legal representatives Amit Grover, Siddhartha Borgohain, and Harshvardhan Sharma, also urges the ECI to establish rules on cash-for-vote promises and to enhance monitoring to ensure a fair election process. It alleges that such practices violate electoral laws and citizens' fundamental privacy rights under Article 21, criticizing the political parties' overtly public roles and their functions within the governmental framework.

(With inputs from agencies.)