New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Congress on a plea seeking deletion from the party’s election manifesto the promise of the minimum income guarantee scheme to grant Rs 72,000 per annum to the poorest families.
The bench comprising Justices Sudhir Agarwal and Rajendra Kumar passed the order based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocates Mohit Kumar and Amit Pandey.
The court directed the Congress and the Election Commission of India to file their replies within two weeks and fixed May 13 as the next date of hearing.
The petitioners contended that such a promise in a manifesto amounted to bribery and is in violation of the Representation of the People Act. A political party can not make such promises as it is violation of the law and the model code of conduct, the plea said.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has said that the promise of Rs 72,000 to the poor families per year under the Nyay scheme was made after speaking to experts and its implementation will not affect the economy. The scheme will be a "surgical strike on poverty", he has claimed.
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