The Supreme Court has asked the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments to respond to a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) that alleges the distribution of freebies to voters before the assembly polls in both states. The PIL also claims that taxpayers’ money is being misused by these governments to attract voters. The court has also issued notices to the Centre, the Election Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India regarding this matter.
The lawyer representing the petitioner stated that it is outrageous for the government to distribute cash before elections, as it puts a burden on the taxpayers. The court has taken note of the PIL filed by Bhattulal Jain and has decided to tag it with a pending plea on the same issue. Additionally, the Supreme Court has announced that it will establish a seven-judge bench to examine the validity of laws like the Aadhaar Act being passed as Money Bills. This decision aims to address the controversy surrounding money bills, which are introduced in the Lok Sabha and cannot be amended or rejected by the Rajya Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations on money bills, which may or may not be accepted by the Lok Sabha. The Chief Justice-led bench has scheduled all pending seven-judge bench matters for October 12 to provide procedural directions.
