SC dismisses PIL against use of 'Jai Shree Ram' slogan during West Bengal polls

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL that sought a direction barring political parties from raising the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan during West Bengal Assembly elections.

The top court also rejected petitioner-advocate M L Sharma's challenge to the Election Commission's decision to conduct eight-phased Assembly polls in West Bengal.

A bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that if the petitioner felt any poll norm as per the Representation of People Act (RPA) was being violated, then he should move the High Court.

Sharma said he was against religious slogans being abused during the polls and contended that one political party (BJP) was using the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan continuously.

The bench, however, said that the top court was not the right forum, and he should move the High Court.

The petitioner also sought a direction to the CBI to register an FIR into the alleged chanting of religious slogans during electioneering in West Bengal. The plea contended that the chanting of "Jai Shree Ram and other religious slogans are creating disharmony". Sharma insisted that this is an offence under the IPC and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Following a brief hearing in the matter, the bench dismissed the case by saying that it had read the whole case and didn't agree with the petitioner.

The petitioner also claimed that holding the election in West Bengal in eight phases was a violation of the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution. He pointed out that elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry around the same time are going to be held in a single phase and also that the election in Assam is going to be held in three phases.