Wed Jan 29 19:53:45 UTC 2025: **Delhi High Court Orders Election Commission to Curb Abusive Political Campaigning**
New Delhi, January 30, 2025 – The Delhi High Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to prevent the use of “vilifying” campaign material in the upcoming February 5th Assembly elections. The order comes in response to a plea alleging that unknown individuals were making spam calls and sending voice messages urging voters to support a specific party and threatening the withdrawal of freebies if they did not.
The court, comprised of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, stated that the State Election Officer, Chief Election Officer, and District Election Officer are fully responsible for monitoring and preventing such activities. The ECI’s representative, Advocate Sidhant Kumar, confirmed that the commission is investigating the allegations and will take action against those violating guidelines on certified political advertisements, including voice calls.
Three lawyers, Dhrone Diwan, Kashish Dhawan, and Arshia Jain, filed the plea, claiming the spam calls aimed to spread hatred and bias, unfairly impacting other parties. While the petitioners requested a postponement of the election, the court deemed this request impossible with only a week remaining. The court emphasized the ECI’s responsibility to ensure fair and unbiased campaigning.
First Piper 