New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into a sting operation that alleged the sale of election tickets by certain unrecognized political parties in Uttar Pradesh. The court instead allowed the petitioner, the Swaraj Vahini Association, to revive its pending representation and reminder before the Election Commission.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana stated that the petitioner should pursue the matter with the poll panel. In its ruling, the bench noted that it had no reason to doubt that the election authority would make endeavors to redress the grievances raised.
The legal challenge stemmed from sting operations shared on social media concerning the operations of specific political parties and the alleged commercialization of election candidacies. The bench also observed that the Allahabad High Court had previously declined to entertain a public interest litigation filed by the same petitioner on the identical subject.
Alongside the Election Commission and the central government, the petition had named the Chief Election Commissioner as well as several Uttar Pradesh-based political organizations, including the Nishad Party, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Apna Dal Sone Lal, and Jan Janvadi Party Socialist.
On September 7, the Allahabad High Court had dismissed the initial public interest litigation seeking an investigation by the CBI or another agency into the circulating sting footage. At the time, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra refused to take up the petition, remarking that the judiciary could not be expected to order probes into every sting operation or social media report brought forward under the guise of public interest.
With Tuesday's decision, the Supreme Court has officially left it open for the petitioner association to take up the matter directly with the Election Commission.