Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP moves SC against Calcutta HC order restraining derogatory ads against TMC

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a vacation bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday filed a plea in the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order directing it not to publish any kind of derogatory advertisements targeting against the Trinamool Congress in violation the model code of conduct during the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, 2024.

Senior advocate Saurabh Mishra, representing the saffron camp, mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal, for urgent hearing. To the request, the bench said it will see.

The HC's single-judge bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya on May 20, had restrained the BJP from publishing such ads until further orders, after finding the advertisements in question to be in violation of the MCC. 

The HC had then pulled up the Election Commission for "grossly failing" to address the complaints filed by the TMC against BJP advertisements that targeted the ruling party in West Bengal.

The HC was hearing a petition filed by TMC to restrain the BJP from carrying such ads. The TMC had objected to certain ads published by the BJP in certain newspapers against the Mamata Banerjee- led party.

This single-judge order was challenged by the BJP in the two-judge bench of the HC, which also refused to entertain BJP's prayers on May 22. 

The HC's division bench refused to grant any relief to the BJP saying that the party should not to publish any advertisement violating the MCC during the Lok Sabha election process.

The HC had also observed that it was imperative that all political parties follow healthy electoral practices, as the ultimate victim of misleading electoral campaigns was the voter.

Maintaining that a "Laxman Rekha" should be adhered to, the court said that there should not be any personal attack on the part of any political party.