In Brief
This Supreme Court judgment addresses non-compliance with directions regarding criminalisation of politics. The Court held that political parties must mandatorily disclose detailed information about candidates with pending criminal cases on their websites, in local and national newspapers, and on social media within 48 hours of selection or two weeks before nomination filing. Disclosure must include reasons for selection based on merit, qualifications and achievements—not electoral 'winnability'. Political parties must report compliance to the Election Commission within 72 hours. Non-compliance shall be reported to the Supreme Court as contempt. The judgment notes alarming increases in MPs with pending criminal cases (from 24% in 2004 to 43% in 2019) and lack of transparency about selection criteria.
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