The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, ruled that promises of financial aid made by political parties in their election manifestos do not constitute corrupt conduct. The bench, consisting of Justices Suryakant and KV Viswanathan, rejected the arguments presented by a petitioner from the Chamrajpet assembly constituency.
The petitioner, a voter from Chamrajpet, had approached the Supreme Court challenging a Karnataka High Court decision related to the 2023 Karnataka state assembly elections. The petition targeted the election of BZ Zamir Ahmed Khan, a victorious candidate from the Congress party, alleging that the promises made in the party’s manifesto were tantamount to corrupt electoral conduct.
The complainant argued that the Congress party’s manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, which promised direct and indirect financial assistance to the public, amounted to corrupt electoral practices. However, the Karnataka High Court had earlier held that announcing policies intended to be implemented, as stated in a party’s manifesto, cannot be considered corrupt conduct under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.
The High Court further stated that the Congress party’s five guarantees should be viewed as social welfare policies. Whether these are financially viable or not is a separate issue. The court also noted that it was up to other parties to demonstrate how the implementation of these schemes could potentially bankrupt the state treasury and lead to misgovernance in the state.
