HC declines urgent hearing on plea against pre-poll freebies

The Delhi High Court today declined to give an urgent hearing to a plea seeking to restrain all political parties from making promises of offering freebies to people if they are voted to power.
A bench of Justices B D Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar said there is no such urgency that the petition should be heard today itself and "let it come up in the normal course of filing".
It also asked how the issue concerns Delhi, as elections are going to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
"Why don't you go and file your petition in the Allahabad High Court," the court said to the petitioner, a Delhi resident.

The plea by Ashok Sharma has sought direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to restrain all political parties from distributing free goods (freebies) as is allegedly being offered in the upcoming state Assembly elections in the five states, scheduled to be held in February and March.
It has alleged that the promise of offering freebies to people by political parties, if they are voted to power, is now a common feature during elections in India.
The petition has said that ECI has not taken necessary steps to stop political parties, in the upcoming Assembly elections in the five states, from distributing freebies at the expense of the government exchequer.

It said that the poll panel in its recent guidelines has nullified the Supreme Court's directions, which had directed ECI to frame guidelines in consultation with all recognised parties.