The Supreme Court declined to hear a plea from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) challenging a Calcutta High Court order prohibiting derogatory advertisements against the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan were unconvinced by the plea, prompting the BJP to withdraw it. However, the court granted the BJP the freedom to contest the notices from the Calcutta High Court's Single Judge bench.
The Supreme Court stated that it saw no grounds to intervene in the Calcutta High Court's decision and remarked that the advertisements appeared prima facie disparaging.
The BJP had moved the Supreme Court on Friday against the High Court's order, which prohibited the party from publishing derogatory advertisements against the TMC in violation of the model code of conduct for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
The BJP's challenge was against the May 22 order of the Calcutta High Court, which upheld the single-judge verdict directing the party to refrain from publishing any advertisement that breached the Model Code of Conduct during the election process.
The High Court's division bench, while refusing to interfere with the single-judge order, stressed the importance of adhering to a "Laxman Rekha" and avoiding personal attacks in political campaigns.
The bench highlighted the necessity for all political parties to uphold healthy electoral practices, emphasising that the voter is ultimately the victim of misleading electoral campaigns.
The BJP contended in its appeal to the division bench that the single judge had issued the order without granting the party an opportunity to present its case.
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