SC to hear Congress’ plea on poll code violation by Modi, Shah

The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a petition filed by the Congress party against alleged violations of the model code of conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah. The Congress party’s petition in the SC said Modi and Shah had made hate speeches and invoked Armed Forces for political gains, and that the EC was not doing enough to act on complaints against Modi and Shah. Appearing for Dev, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the EC has not acted on the party’s complaints against Modi and Shah for nearly three weeks. A Congress delegation, which included senior leader Singhvi and chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, had filed three fresh complaints with the EC on Monday against BJP leaders invoking the actions by armed forces and malpractices during polling in Tripura. There cannot be two rules in a democracy.” Dev also asked the court to direct the EC “to expeditiously decide, without any delay or demur, and in any case not later than 24 hours,” against the “multiple complaints filed and pending before it.” The EC on 15 April had barred Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati from campaigning for varying periods, hours after an explosive intervention by the SC on the same morning, which called the EC “toothless” for failing to act against political leaders who made polarizing speeches.