The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a public interest litigation alleging widespread political defections, horse-trading of legislators and erosion of democratic values, with the Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana expressing strong reservations over the sweeping allegations made without supporting material.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate CR Jaya Sukin, appearing through video conferencing, urged the Court to intervene against what he described as a growing practice of legislators resigning and immediately joining rival political parties. Referring to instances from Tamil Nadu and other States, he claimed that elected representatives were being induced through money or intimidation to switch political allegiance. Addressing the Bench, the petitioner submitted:
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“Today, we are not living in a democratic country. Democracy has already been washed away.”
The petitioner further alleged that ruling parties across the country were undermining democratic institutions and facilitating political defections through financial inducements and threats. The petitioner added that while his plea specifically concerned events in Tamil Nadu, the issue extended across India. He referred to instances of MLAs allegedly being flown in chartered aircraft and legislators resigning before joining other parties.
According to the petitioner, Article 190 of the Constitution required Speakers to carefully examine resignations before accepting them and such constitutional safeguards were being bypassed. Despite repeated attempts by the petitioner to press the matter, the Court remained unconvinced and indicated that the allegations were unsupported by reliable evidence.
The Court ultimately dismissed the PIL, holding that no grounds were made out for entertaining the petition.