Chief Justice of India JS Khehar

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 8

Noting that poll promises routinely remain unfulfilled, Chief Justice of India JS Khehar today said political parties must be held accountable for what they say in their election manifestos.“Nowadays, manifestos have become a mere piece of paper. For this, political parties have to be made accountable,” CJI Khehar said addressing a seminar on electoral reforms in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Justice Khehar said manifestos remained pieces of paper due to short-term memory of citizens, but political parties must be held accountable. He lamented that politicians gave brazen excuses like lack of consensus to justify non-fulfilment of poll promises.The seminar — ‘Economic Reforms with Reference to Electoral Issues’— was organised by the Confederation of the Indian Bar. “The CJI’s comments come almost four years after it directed the Election Commission to frame guidelines on freebies in consultation with all recognised political parties as there was no law directly governing the content of manifestos. “Freebies shake the root of free and fair elections to a large degree,” the top court had said in its July 2013 verdict.Justice Khehar said after the court’s directions to the EC to formulate guidelines on freebies, the commission had been taking action against parties for the violation of model code of conduct. He, however, pointed out that during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, none of the manifestos indicated any link between electoral reforms and the constitutional goal of ensuring economic-social justice to the marginalised section.The CJI’s opinion assumes significance as the SC has ordered a series of electoral reforms in the last 15 years despite resistance. SC Judge Dipak Misra said money power should have no room in polls and a candidate must bear in mind that contesting elections was not an investment.