"Within 48 Hours Of...": A Supreme Court Move To Decriminalise Politics

Petitions have asked for contempt against political parties for not obeying the February 2020 orders of the Supreme Court.

Political parties must make criminal records of their poll candidates public within 48 hours of their selection, the Supreme Court said today, in a big step towards decriminalising politics. In an earlier ruling in February last year linked to the Bihar election in November, the Supreme Court had said candidates must upload these details either within 48 hours of their selection or at least two weeks before the first date of filing nomination papers. That has now been limited to only 48 hours. The court is hearing a petition that calls for suspending the symbol of political parties that do not disclose criminal backgrounds of their candidates. Petitions have asked for contempt against political parties for not obeying the February 2020 orders of the Supreme Court.