New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday indicated that it will examine whether political parties can file PILs to espouse people’s cause and said, “We do not want politics to shift to the courts.”
Even as the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and N.V. Ramana that Swaraj Abhiyan can no longer pursue the PIL as it has decided to form itself as a political party, the Bench said, “Our apprehension is that this will shift politics to the courts. We do not want this.”
The AG submitted that the NGO had converted itself into a political party and as such it should be barred from fighting PIL cases irrespective of the fact that EC registration was yet to be done or not. Mr. Rohatgi said the application filed by Swaraj India before the Election Commission (EC) for registration as a political party was pending. They have already formed a political party. Just because they are not yet registered, does not mean they are not a political party.”
He said that it would be difficult to draw a line between those pursuing electoral gains and other public interest causes inside the court. “So where will you draw the line?” he said, urging the court to throw out all PILs filed by political parties.
He said political parties have a platform outside to redress their grievances.
