- News>
- India
Delhi HC calls for reply on suit seeking deregistration of BJP
New Delhi, Feb 16: Delhi High Court today asked the Prime Minister, his Deputy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the Election Commission (EC) to file response on a suit, seeking derecognition of the party for allegedly promoting communalism in the country.
New Delhi, Feb 16: Delhi High Court today asked the Prime Minister, his Deputy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the Election Commission (EC) to file response on a suit, seeking derecognition of the party for allegedly promoting communalism in the country.
Justice C K Mahajan asked Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Human Resource Development Minister M M Joshi, BJP MP from Faizabad Vinay Katiyar and the Election Commission, besides the BJP, to file their written statements (reply) by April end on the civil suit seeking deregistration of the BJP as a party and restrain its members from contesting elections.
On November 21 last, the judge had issued notice to the suit, however today, counsel for Vajpayee, Advani, the BJP and all the others except the EC, A K Garg sought a fresh corrected copy of the plaint (suit).
The court directed the plaintiffs--Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh, Gandhian leader Nirmala Deshpande, social activist Nafisa Ali and minority leader Valson Thampu through senior counsel and Congress MP R K Anand--to supply a copy to the defendents within a week.
Arguments on an injunction application seeking to permanently prevent all BJP leaders from contesting elections would be heard in May.
It was alleged that some BJP leaders had made derogatory remarks against the minority community during and after the Gujarat riots and also during the party's Goa convention.
The BJP has violated the declaration given to the Election Commission on basis of which the EC had granted recognition to it, it was claimed.
The party was not adhering to the undertaking given by it at the time of seeking recognition as a political party from the EC. This undertaking was that it would abide by the Constitution in which was enshrined, among other things, the principle of secularism, the Anand claimed.
The judge had issued the notices last year, on the complaint which had been filed in 2002.
Bureau Report
On November 21 last, the judge had issued notice to the suit, however today, counsel for Vajpayee, Advani, the BJP and all the others except the EC, A K Garg sought a fresh corrected copy of the plaint (suit).
The court directed the plaintiffs--Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh, Gandhian leader Nirmala Deshpande, social activist Nafisa Ali and minority leader Valson Thampu through senior counsel and Congress MP R K Anand--to supply a copy to the defendents within a week.
Arguments on an injunction application seeking to permanently prevent all BJP leaders from contesting elections would be heard in May.
It was alleged that some BJP leaders had made derogatory remarks against the minority community during and after the Gujarat riots and also during the party's Goa convention.
The BJP has violated the declaration given to the Election Commission on basis of which the EC had granted recognition to it, it was claimed.
The party was not adhering to the undertaking given by it at the time of seeking recognition as a political party from the EC. This undertaking was that it would abide by the Constitution in which was enshrined, among other things, the principle of secularism, the Anand claimed.
The judge had issued the notices last year, on the complaint which had been filed in 2002.
Bureau Report