Delhi High Court upholds EC’s power to recognise national or state-level political parties
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition questioning the Election Commission of India’s authority to recognise political parties as national or state-level entities on Friday, reaffirming the validity of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
According to a report published by The Hindu, the Bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Anish Dayal held that the issues raised in the plea had already been settled by the Supreme Court and found no grounds to declare the Symbols Order either ultra vires or discriminatory. The court said the legal framework governing the recognition of political parties was backed by statutory provisions and long-standing judicial interpretation.
The petition was filed by the Hind Samrajya Party, a registered political party. It argued that the Election Commission lacked the power to classify parties as national or state-level. It also contended that recognised parties were granted election symbols well in advance, while newly registered parties received symbols only after the scrutiny stage, leaving them with limited time to campaign.
The High Court noted that the Supreme Court had already ruled that the allotment of election symbols could not be claimed as a fundamental right, rejecting these arguments. The Bench observed that differential treatment between recognised and unrecognised parties flowed from objective criteria laid down under the Symbols Order and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The court said the inability of the petitioner, described as a Uttar Pradesh-based political party, to access privileges available to recognised parties did not amount to discrimination, while clarifying that such privileges were granted only after parties met prescribed qualifications under the law. The court concluded that the recognition process and symbol allotment mechanism followed by the Election Commission were legally sound and constitutionally valid.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
