Govt opposes lifetime ban on convicted politicians
The Centre has opposed in the Supreme Court a plea seeking to debar convicted lawmakers for life from contesting polls, saying imposing such a disqualification was solely within the domain of Parliament.
“The question whether a life-time ban would be appropriate or not is a question that is solely within the domain of Parliament,” the Centre said in an affidavit filed in response to a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay in 2016 for barring convicted persons from contesting polls, forming political parties and holding any post in a political party.
Under the current election law, a convicted person is immediately disqualified and they are also barred from contesting polls for six years from the date of completion of their sentence. But the disqualification disappears after the expiry of six years from the date of completion of their sentence.
The affidavit came barely two weeks after the Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the criminalisation of politics and asked the Centre and the Election Commission to spell out their respective stand on the contentious issue.