The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea to derecognize major political parties for launching welfare schemes in the name of their leaders and issuing advertisements enhancing their poll prospects at the cost of the public exchequer.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice B.S. Chauhan refused to immediately hear the lawsuit saying it would be heard only on March 22, the date already slated for its hearing by the registry.
The lawsuit, filed by a Delhi resident Manoj Agnihotri, termed itself as a ‘sequel to another’ lawsuit filed by advocate Ravi Kant.
Kanth’s petition, pending with the court, has sought derecognition of Bahujan Samaj Party on the ground that the party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has proceeded to stuff every nook and corner of the state with statues of various Dalit leaders, largely herself and her political mentor Kanshi Ram.
The statues installed by Mayawati government in the state included those of her party’s political symbol elephant, besides those of some statues of Dalit icon Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and his wife.
Appearing for Agnihotri, senior counsel Anil Diwan pleaded to the court to hear his client’s lawsuit along with Ravi Kant’s, which is listed for hearing Thursday. The court turned down his plea.
Agnihotri, in his lawsuit, contended there are as many as 100 educational institutions, 6 major ports and airports, 66 government awards of various categories, 45 sports tournaments and trophies, 39 hospitals and 74 roads and building are all named after one or the other members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
There are several government schemes too, which are run in the name of Nehru-Gandhi family members, alleged the petition, saying that no political party, including BJP and Samajwadi Party and others, is immune from the malaise of naming government welfare schemes after their leaders.
