Noting that there is “nothing concrete” to back the notion that presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 can sway the minds of people during State Assembly polls, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking its postponement till the Assembly elections in five States, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, end.
Supreme Court advocate Manohar Lal Sharma contended that policies such as homes for the economically-deprived, in the annual budget, influence people to vote in a particular fashion. “They present schemes like these in the budget to control the minds of the citizens. These schemes declared during election time are against the Model Code of Conduct,” the lawyer argued.
However, the Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and including Justices NV Ramana and DY Chandrachud, was unmoved. “Bring us a proposition of law to bolster your notions, we will look into it. Four times we gave you an opportunity to bring us something concrete, you have not brought anything,” it said.
At one point, the Chief Justice called the petition’s interpretation of constitutional law ‘absurd’. “Take a situation where Party ‘A’ is in power at the Centre and people may think if we vote for that party in the State, money for welfare schemes will come to the State. Is that an excuse for a petition to be filed seeking the ban on the party to contest the State polls?” Chief Justice Khehar asked.
Even in a hearing on Friday, the Supreme Court had found nothing wrong in the government’s move to advance the presentation of the budget by almost a month.