Supreme Court issues notice to EC on Congress plea against PM Modi, Amit Shah over alleged model code violations

New Delhi, Apr 30 Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued notice to Election Commission of India subsequent to hearing Congress MP Sushmita Dev's appeal against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for supposedly damaging Model Code of Conduct. The peak court will currently hear this case on Friday.

A 2-judge Supreme Court seat headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi heard the issue on Tuesday and approached the applicant to hang tight for the choice of EC for this situation.

The SC seat also took note of the submissions made by Congress leader and advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi who filed the plea on behalf of Sushmita Dev.

In her plea, Dev had alleged that despite several complaints, the poll panel did not make any action on the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Modi and Shah amid their energizes in the run-up to Lok Sabha poll.

Dev also claimed that EC's "inaction" on protests against PM Modi and Shah was "a sign of invidious discrimination" and was "arbitrary, capricious and impermissible" as it was not doing any favour to the integrity of electoral process.

"It is in public domain that they have indulged in hate speeches, over and again used the armed forces for political propaganda, despite a clear prohibition on the equivalent by the Respondent/ECI. Besides, the Prime Minister in blatant violation of the MCC held a rally upon the arrival of polling in Gujarat on April 23rd, 2019 for example date of casting a ballot in the third period of the decision," Sushmita Dev said in her supplication.

Meanwhile, the EC is expected to take a choice on grievances of model code infringement by PM Modi, Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

Talking with PTI, Deputy election commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the 'full commission' would meet Tuesday and take choices on the objections. "The secretariat has prepared everything and spot the subtleties before the Commission," he said.

It is to be noted that the poll panel meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss important issues.