SC to hear on Mar 18 plea to debar poll candidates charged for serious offences
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on March 18 a plea seeking to debar from polls, candidates charged with serious offences.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh would likely hear the matter.
The apex court in September 2022 sought responses from the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
Aside from seeking to debar persons against whom charges were framed in criminal cases, the plea also sought directions to the Centre and the ECI to restrain such candidates put on trial for serious offences.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, alleged that despite recommendations of the Law Commission of India and court's previous directions, the Centre and the ECI did not act.
The plea said of the 539 winners of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, about 233 or 43 per cent, declared facing criminal cases.
Referring to data from a report of NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, the petition said there was a 109 per cent increase in the number of MPs with declared serious criminal cases since 2009, with one MP declaring 204 criminal cases against him, including culpable homicide, house trespass, robbery, criminal intimidation, etc.
The plea claimed the political parties were competing with each other in a race to the bottom as they couldn't afford to leave their competitors free to recruit persons with criminal antecedents.
The injury caused to the people was large owing to the criminalisation of politics and parties were still setting up candidates with serious criminal antecedents, it added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Former Aussie spinner MacGill convicted in cocaine case
Sydney, Mar 13 (PTI): Former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill was found guilty of involvement in a cocaine deal on Thursday, but cleared of participating in large-scale drug supply.
A Sydney District Court jury acquitted the 54-year-old leg-spinner of facilitating a one-kg cocaine deal worth AUD 330,000 in April 2021.
However, he was convicted of the charge of taking part in drug supply.
MacGill, who played 44 Tests for Australia, "showed little emotion" as the verdict was read, according to a reports in Australian media.
Hearing of his sentence was adjourned for eight weeks.
The court heard that MacGill introduced his regular drug dealer to his brother-in-law, Marino Sotiropoulos, at a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney’s north shore.
While he denied knowledge of the transaction, prosecutors argued the deal could not have taken place without his involvement.
