Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Use of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ Slogan During WB Polls.

West Bengal assembly elections: SC junks plea against raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan during polls.

Rajesh Tewari | HENB | New Delhi |Mar 9, 2021::  The Supreme court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL, which had also sought to bar the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders from using the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan during the poll campaign in the state.

A plea, filed by Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, sought a direction to the CBI to register an FIR into the alleged chanting of religious slogans during electioneering in West Bengal. The Saffron party and its supporters see a TMC hand behind the case.

The plea raised the legal question on whether raising the slogan is a “violation under S 123(3) & 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.” According to the plea, chanting of “Jai Shri Ram, other religious slogans are creating disharmony” and is an offence under the IPC and the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The petitioner also demanded CBI action against Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leader Shuvendu Adhikary as they chanted ‘Jai Sri Ram’ in many party meetings in West Bengal.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde had initially told advocate M L Sharma, the petitioner, to approach the Calcutta high court. At the hearing, the petitioner said this is “not a matter of an election petition.”

“One party is using a religious slogan. Why should I go to the high court,” Sharma told the bench.

On the insistence of the petitioner that the matter be heard on Wednesday, the three-judge bench dismissed the plea, saying “Alright, we do not agree with you.”  The Bench could not find any point to support the cause of the petitioner.

The same plea also challenged the Election Commission’s decision to conduct assembly elections over eight phases in West Bengal, citing violation of Article 14 (right to life) and Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution.

Apprehending the big impact of the slogan, ‘JAI SHRI RAM’ in the common people of Bengal, anti-Hindu moles are now trying hard to defame the name of Shri Ram and Ramayana in various ways.

Some days before, TMC MP from Serampore, Kalyan Banerjee commented objectionably on Mother Sita connected her with Hathras rape in Uttar Pradesh+. 

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Courtesy:  PTI | India Today | ABP | Live Hindustan.