The poster war between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has escalated to the Supreme Court. The Court, while hearing the case, rejected BJP’s petition and expressed surprise at the Election Commission’s inaction.
The Calcutta High Court had previously barred BJP from putting up objectionable posters against TMC, leading BJP to file a petition in the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court dismissed BJP’s petition, stating that the advertisement in question was indeed objectionable. Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Vishwanathan remarked that while BJP could promote itself, it could not insult others, especially during ongoing general elections with the code of conduct in force.
The Calcutta High Court’s ruling last week stated that the allegations against TMC in BJP’s posters were defamatory and unacceptable as personal attacks. The Court emphasized that TMC is a rival party, not an enemy.
In its reprimand, the Supreme Court questioned the Election Commission’s lack of timely action on TMC’s complaint. The Court expressed surprise that election-related issues were being brought to the judiciary, questioning the Election Commission’s ability to address these problems. Previously, TMC had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, prompting the Commission to issue a notice to BJP.
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