SC Quashes ‘Urgent’ Plea Seeking Deferring of Budget Presentation
Earlier, 16 Opposition parties wrote to President and EC questioning the move to present the Budget on 1 February.
Amid rumours of the Union Budget being presented on 1 February, the Supreme Court on Friday refused an urgent hearing on a plea seeking that the Union Budget for 2017-18 be deferred till April.
The public suit by advocate ML Sharma came in the wake of the staggered election dates being announced for five state assemblies between 4 February and 8 March.
Presenting the budget during the above dates would violate the Model Code of Conduct, which has come into force with the announcement of the election schedule, the petitioner contended.
A bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice NV Ramana and Justice DY Chandrachud said that they would decide the issue when it comes in its normal course.
Earlier, at least 16 Opposition parties accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to win votes with guile. The parties wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee and Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi, questioning the NDA government’s intent to present the Union Budget on 1 February.
Leaders of the Opposition, including Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC’s Derek O’brien, took their appeal to the Election Commission’s doorstep on 5 January, asking for the date of the budget to be pushed to a date after the polls.
Five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur – are headed for the Assembly elections in February, with the first phase of the UP polls scheduled to begin on 11 February.
(With IANS Inputs.)
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