The EC on Monday said to the apex court that it favors the idea of not allowing people convicted of a criminal offense to contest elections. This news comes soon after the National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms found that an average of one out of four freshly elected legislators in UP has a criminal case against them.
In view of those who are convicted of any crime, the EC declared to the Supreme Court that it will support the stance of prohibiting them from contesting elections for life; restricting their entry into any public service or into the judiciary and legislatures.
The EC made these points in an affidavit filed in the top court in connection with a petition filed by Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhaya. The petitioner had sought the establishment of special courts for trials of criminal cases against public servants.
As many as 143 (36%) of the 403 elected MLAs declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits. During the 2012 state elections, 189 (47%) of the MLAs faced criminal cases. Of the 690 MLAs elected in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa – the five states that went to the polls recently – 140 legislators (20%) face serious criminal charges like murder, kidnapping and extortion.
