Zee Media Bureau
Lucknow: In a blow to political parties, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday stayed caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect.
The decision to stay caste-based rallies was taken by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC.
"We stay caste-based rallies throughout the state of UP," the bench comprising justices Uma Nath Singh and Mahendra Dayal said on a PIL filed by a local lawyer Motilal Yadav.
The decision deals a blow to parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, which analysts say survive on votes cast mainly on caste basis.
The bench, while banning the caste-based rallies, also issued notices to the central and state governments, the Election Commission, and four major political parties, including the BJP, Congress, BSP and SP.
Mayawati`s BSP had only days ago organised a Brahmin rally in the state capital, seeking to leverage their support ahead of next year`s General Elections.
SP too had organised a similar event in Lucknow recently besides a Muslim Sammelan.
The litigant submitted that there was a spurt of caste-based political rallies in the state. He said political parties were organising caste-based rallies in the name of different castes like Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya etc.
Yadav submitted that while such events were causing damage to social unity and harmony, they were also vitiating the society which was against the spirit of the Constitution.
On behalf of the state government, additional advocate general Bulbul Godiyal appeared before the court.
The Centre, state government, ECI, Congress, BJP, SP and BSP have been made respondents in the PIL.
(With PTI inputs)
