In a recent judicial decision, the Supreme Court of India decided not to entertain a plea from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) challenging a Calcutta High Court order. The high court’s decision upheld a prior ruling by a single judge that restrained the BJP from issuing advertisements allegedly breaching the model code of conduct (MCC) during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
On Monday, a vacation bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and K V Viswanathan evaluated the appeal but chose not to intervene in the high court’s judgment. The bench observed that the contested advertisement appeared “prima facie disparaging,” leading to a swift dismissal of the plea.
Represented by Senior Advocate P S Patwalia, the BJP sought to withdraw their petition following the bench’s reluctance to proceed with the matter. Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea as withdrawn.
Previously, on May 22, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court had already expressed its disinclination to entertain an appeal against the interim order issued by the single-judge bench on May 20. This order prohibited the BJP from publishing any advertisements that violated the MCC up until June 4, coinciding with the scheduled announcement of the Lok Sabha election results.
