In Brief
This case addressed contempt of the Supreme Court's earlier directions in Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India regarding disclosure of criminal cases involving political candidates. The Court found a significant increase in the proportion of MPs with pending criminal cases (from 24% in 2004 to 43% in 2019). The Court mandated that political parties must publish detailed information about candidates with pending criminal cases on their websites, in newspapers, and on social media, with reasons for selection based on merit rather than winnability. Compliance reports must be submitted to the Election Commission within 72 hours, with non-compliance reported to the Court as contempt.
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