The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, 15 May, declined to entertain a PIL filed by a BJP leader seeking directions to the Election Commission to "restrict" misuse of religion for poll gains. The High Court also asked the EC to decide BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's representation against the remarks of actor-cum-politician Kamal Haasan, that "free India's first extremist was a Hindu", referring to Nathuram Godse who killed Mahatma Gandhi.
The petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice AJ Bhambhani by Upadhyay, who has also sought debarring of candidates and de-registration of parties which misuse religion for electoral gain.
The bench had allowed the plea to be listed for hearing before an appropriate bench.