Lifetime ban proposed for convicted leaders from contesting elections

Recommendation by Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae, Vijay Hansaria

(Credits : India Today)

New Delhi – The Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae, Vijay Hansaria, has submitted his 19th report to Supreme Court on a plea seeking lifetime ban on convicted leaders from contesting elections. In this report, he also recommended that ‘convicted leaders should be banned from contesting elections for lifetime instead of 6 years’. Hansaria in his report said that, after conviction under the ‘Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003’ and ‘Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013’, the concerned individual is disqualified for a period of maximum 6 years. This should be changed to permanent disqualification.

The Supreme Court is set to deliberate on this matter on 15th September and will make a decision regarding the recommendation put forth by Vijay Hansaria.

(Credits : Times of India)

Rising cases against MLAs and MPs across the nation

In parallel, there has been a noticeable surge in the number of pending cases against MLAs and MPs across the nation. As of November 2022, the total count of pending cases against these elected representatives stands at 5,175, marking a significant increase from the 2018 figure of 4,122.

Editorial Viewpoints

• Why is there a need for such a recommendation ? In reality, the Government itself should impose such a ban.
• Will elected representative with criminal backgrounds ever truly uphold the rule of law ? Allowing such individuals to contest elections is akin to granting them a license to sow chaos in society. This undermines the essence of democracy.