Supreme Court declines to hear plea to hold Budget after Assembly polls

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea seeking postponement of the Union Budget to March, after the Assembly polls in 5 states were completed.

A bench of the SC headed by new Chief Justice of India (CJI) Jagdish Singh Khehar said, "will hear the matter in due course of time, but not now".

The Budget is scheduled to be held on February 1, and the NDA government is in no mood to postpone it.

The Opposition parties had earlier on Thursday approached the Election Commission demanding that the Budget be postponed to a date beyond March 8, the last date on which voting for Assembly elections will be held.

The Opposition contends that holding the Budget before the Assembly polls will allow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to woo voters through various schemes.