SC rejects BJP's plea against Calcutta HC order on ads during LS polls

The Supreme Court on Monday, 27 May, refused to entertain a plea filed by the BJP challenging a Calcutta High Court order that had refused to interfere with a single-judge verdict restraining the party from issuing advertisements that are allegedly violative of the model code during the Lok Sabha polls.

A vacation bench of justices J K Maheshwari and K V Viswanathan refused to interfere with the high court order.

"Prima facie, the advertisement is disparaging," the bench said.

Senior advocate P S Patwalia, appearing for the BJP, sought permission to withdraw the matter after the bench expressed disinclination to entertain it.

The matter was dismissed as withdrawn.

On 22 May, a division bench of the high court had said it was not inclined to entertain the appeal against the interim order passed by the single-judge bench.

The single-judge bench on 20 May had restrained the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from publishing advertisements that violated the MCC until 4 June, the day the Lok Sabha poll results are scheduled to be declared.

The court had also restrained the saffron party from publishing the advertisements mentioned by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, in its petition claiming unverified allegations against it and its workers.