On Friday, the Delhi High Court will consider a request for an order barring Prime Minister Narendra Modi from running for office for six years. During his campaign for the Lok Sabha Elections of 2024, the petitioner accused Prime Minister Modi of requesting votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the names of religious deities and places of worship.
Anand S. Jondhale, a lawyer, made the plea. Justice Sachin Datta will hear the case.
Petitioner Anand S. Jondhale claimed that on April 9, PM Modi broke the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) whilst giving a speech at Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.
In addition to requesting votes in the names of Sikh and Hindu deities and their houses of worship, the petitioner claimed that PM Modi had made remarks disparaging “opposite political parties as favouring Muslims.”
“That the Petitioner further submits that the Respondent No.2 (Prime Minister Modi) is on the run of making the same violative speech throughout India while travelling in aircraft and helicopters of the Government of India,” the plea states.
Jondhale submitted that PM Modi’s speeches “have the potential to create hatred amongst voters on the line of caste and religion”, the report added.
PM Modi said that by turning down the invitation to “pran pratistha,” the leaders of the INDIA bloc “insulted Lord Ram” at the April 9 rally in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. In addition, he had criticised the Congress’ manifesto, claiming that it seemed to be the Muslim League’s rather than their own.
He added that the BJP is solidly in support of Sikhs. The Prime Minister made this statement while highlighting the BJP government’s plan to open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and waive GST on “langar” commodities.
Jondhale attempted to stop PM Modi from requesting votes in the “name of religious deities and places of worship,” citing his speech on April 9.
In accordance with the Representation of Peoples Act, the plea also asked the Election Commission to rule that Prime Minister Modi would not be allowed to run for office for six years.
In order to disqualify PM Modi and submit a formal charge against him under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, Jondhale had previously filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC). He did, however, claim that the poll body had not yet taken any action in this regard. He thereafter submitted the plea to the Delhi High Court.
As per the Constitution, Section 153 A of the IPC has provisions to punish people who indulge in “wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc of any particular group or class or upon the founders and prophets of a religion”.
Regarding the allegation alleging that PM Narendra Modi broke the election model code of conduct (MCC) on April 9 while campaigning in Pilibhit, the Election Commission is probably going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The grievance focused on PM Modi’s remarks regarding the building of the Ram Temple, the expansion of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, and the action taken by the Union government to retrieve copies of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, from Afghanistan.
According to a report, the European Commission is expected to declare that these three incidents do not amount to a religious appeal for the right to vote.
