Recently, a lesser known political outfit, Navnirman Sena in Uttar Pradesh has given party tickets to two accused involved in two different lynching cases. The party has nominated them as their candidates to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The first ticket was given to Shambhulal Regar, the man arrested for burning and lynching a Muslim man in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand in December 2017. Days after this, the political outfit gave another ticket to Rupendra Rana, one of the main accused in the Dadri lynching case in 2015.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court held that the candidates could not be disqualified just based on the criminal cases against them. Confirming the two latest announcements by the Navrirman Sena, their chief Amit Jani said, “Rupendra Rana is the perfect person to protect cows as he has spent 2.5 years in prison for the respect of gaumata“, as reported by The Times of India.
He further says that Rana has not made false promises of saving the cows, instead, he has proven his commitment to cows in 2015. According to him, Rana will be contesting the election from Gautam Budh Nagar constituency in Noida.
#दादरी_कांड के मुख्य आरोपी को गौतमबुद्धनगर लोकसभा से केंडिडेट बनाएगी उत्तर प्रदेश नवनिर्माण सेना , कल शाम 5 बजे बिसाहड़ा से होगा नाम का एलान@ANI @PTI_News
— Amit Jani (@AmitJaniIND) September 23, 2018
Want to make a “Pro-Hindu government”
The formal announcement on Rana’s appointment was made on Monday, September 24 in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri district. The same district, where almost three years ago Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched and his son Danish was brutally thrashed by a mob over the suspicion of eating beef. The mob barged into his house and thrashed him, Akhlaq had succumbed to his injuries on the spot. According to the FIR, 18 were involved in the incident. Of the total, the three were juveniles and are out on bail. Rana was also granted bail after spending two and a half years in the prison.
While talking to the Firstpost Hindi, chief Jani further said that his party is covering for the Hindu-leaning candidates as the party aims to make a “pro-Hindu government” in India. He also added that his party would hold a Hindu rally on October 14 and a “Dharma Parishad” on November 18. On the nomination of Shambhulal, who murdered a muslim man in Rajasthan last year and uploaded a video of his crime on social media, Jani said he is the supreme candidate.
He said, “There can be nobody better than him” for a Hindutva face to contest elections. He claimed that after the incident, he had gone to Rajasthan where he met several people who supported and lauded Shambhulal’s efforts to “save Hindutva”. The party has also revealed another name for their candidate post. It has decided to give the ticket to father of the two brothers, whose lynching allegedly by a Muslim mob triggered the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. The father would be contesting the elections from Muzaffarnagar.
The Courts Judgement
According to Live Law, the five-judge bench on September 25 held that the candidates could not be disqualified merely based on criminal charges. The bench further urged the Parliament to frame a law to ensure decriminalisation of politics.
The Constitution bench comprising of Cheif Justice Dipak Mishra and Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra added that the political parties would have to publicise the list of cases pending against their candidates. The bench asked the candidates to put the charges in “bold letter her/his criminal antecedents” in the required affidavit.
It added that the political parties should put the candidate’s criminal charges on their website as well, to enable the voters to make an “informed choice.”
While hearing the petition filed by BJP Leader Ashwini Upadhyaya and founder of an NGO, the bench said that the Court cannot add on to the ground of disqualifications and subsequently cannot declare chargesheeted criminals as disqualified, reported The Quint.
SC urges a law to be made
The court said that the time has come when the Parliament must make a law to ensure that a person with serious criminal charges does not get an entry in politics. It said that substantial efforts have to be taken to clean the polluted stream of politics. Adding to that, it said that it is true that false cases are foisted on prospective candidates but at the same time it should be maintained that a person who enters into politics and in lawmaking should be above any kind of serious criminal allegations.
“The nation eagerly waits for such legislation, for the society has a legitimate expectation to be governed by proper constitutional governance. The voters cry for the systematic sustenance of constitutionalism. The country feels agonized when money and muscle power become the supreme power,” reads the judgement.
The matter had first gone to a three-judge bench but was later referred to the Constitution Bench.
Also Read: Rajasthan: Murderer Shambhulal’s Tableau Worshipped During Ram Navami Celebration
