New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday (January 27) dismissed a plea seeking cancellation of the registration of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging that it failed to disclose the criminal antecedents of the party and its candidates contesting the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, while refusing to examine the plea filed by petitioner Ashwin Mudgal, said that the apex court had already issued clear and binding guidelines on the issue and noted that there was no existing legal framework allowing the de-recognition of a political party based on the non-disclosure of such information.
The petitioner subsequently withdrew the plea with the liberty to move the apex court, news agency PTI reported.
AAP violated apex court by not disclosing criminal antecedents of party, candidates
The petitioner submitted that as per a Supreme Court verdict, publishing criminal antecedents by candidates and political parties was mandatory and the AAP violated this order by not disclosing the criminal antecedents of the party as well as the candidates.
Petitioner sought direction to ECI to cancel AAP’s registration
The petitioner, while alleging violation of apex court order by not disclosing antecedents, sought a direction to the Election Commission of India to cancel the registration of the party, submitting that AAP was an accused in the Delhi Excise Policy case and it failed to disclose its accused status in the case.
AAP was involved in corrupt means for winning Lok Sabha and assembly elections, plea alleged
The plea alleged that the AAP was exploiting the government exchequer and the party was involved in corrupt means for winning Lok Sabha and assembly elections and besides this, it has denied the directions of the apex court and by not complying with the apex court directions, the AAP violated the model code of conduct in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections and thus, disqualified its status as a national level political party.
The plea further said that the AAP neither declared on its website nor did it give wide publicity to the registration of criminal cases against the party and its candidates contesting the assembly elections and public at large and the electorate of National Capital Territory of Delhi are going to be affected by non-disclosure by the AAP as is required under the law.
