"Slap On The Outgoing PM's Face": Jairam Ramesh On SC Refusing To Accept Commitments In Manifestos As Corrupt Practice

Supreme Court today refused to accept the argument that the political parties” commitment expressed in their manifestoes by offering financial assistance to the public would amount to a corrupt practice by a candidate or that party. 

Terming the argument “too far fetched,” the Court held that the argument cannot be accepted. 

Hearing the case, the Bench of Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan, observed, “The contention of the learned counsel that the commitments by a political party in its manifesto, which eventually lead to direct or indirect financial help to the public at large, will also amount to corrupt practice by a candidate of that party, is too far-fetched and cannot be accepted. In any case, in the facts and circumstances of these cases, we need not to go into such question elaborately,” 

Sharing the verdict, Congress General Secretory in Charge of Communication Jairam Ramesh in a post on X wrote, “Yet another slap on the outgoing PM”s face.”

Yet another slap on the outgoing PM”s face. https://t.co/ig6wYXFJ6X

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 27, 2024

The appeal was first filed in the Karnataka High Court by a voter from Chamrajpet Assembly Constituency after the 2023 legistature elections. He major argument was that the guarantee mentioned in the manifesto amounted to corrupt practices and therefore the election of the winning Congress candidate should be set aside.

However, the High Court dismissed the petition, observing that the allegations was not against a candidate but a the Congress party”s election manifesto, which amounts to a policy matter of the political party. The Court then rejected to accept the petitioner”s argument, saying that it cannot be considered as corrupt.

The Court also referred to a 2013 Supreme Court to bolster its claims.