Supreme Court to Review EC Policy on Free Symbol Allotment

The Supreme Court has decided to evaluate the Election Commission’s policy of granting free symbols to unrecognised political parties on a first come, first served basis, following a plea from the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). The NTK challenged the allotment of free symbols, particularly the ‘ganna kisan’ (sugarcane farmer) symbol, to another political party in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Despite the high court’s dismissal of NTK’s petition earlier, citing that a contrary view would undermine the essence of free symbols, the Supreme Court has agreed to delve into the matter. The examination will focus on Paragraph 10B (B) of the Election Symbols Order, and the court has scheduled the appeal for hearing post the Holi vacation.