Why criminals still play key role in polls: Judges

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court judges are keen to know why criminal elements continue to play a decisive role in elections despite the law and apex court rulings to decriminalise politics.

During the three-day retreat at the Bhopal judicial academy to reflect on developments in different sectors of the country, judges including Chief Justice T S Thakur questioned former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi on preventing criminal elements from entering the poll arena and wanted to know the steps taken by the Election Commission in this regard.

Quraishi explained that the EC had been very successful in strictly enforcing the model code of conduct and preventing any undue advantage to the ruling political party in elections.

The judges wanted to know what the Election Commission had done to enforce the SC judgment directing all candidates to furnish their educational and criminal antecedents in an affidavit along with the nomination papers.

The judges wanted to know why the EC had not taken candidates to task for furnishing wrong information about assets owned by them and their family members.

Quraishi said the EC did not have the manpower to verify the contents of each and every affidavit. He said it was for rival candidates to point out falsehood in affidavits and upon receiving such complaints, the EC initiated action.

The judges also wanted to know from the ex-CEC why the commission had failed to curb use of excessive money in elections despite a legal cap on candidates for each election .

The Supreme Court judges also expressed concern that too many allegations of bribing of voters was doing the rounds and said it was not good for a democracy.