The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave the last opportunity to the Centre and several political parties to respond to a petition seeking to restrain them from using the acronym I.N.D.I.A. (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance).
The high court told the parties to submit their response within a week to the public interest litigation which alleged that by using the I.N.D.I.A. acronym, the parties were taking “undue advantage in the name of our country”.
The court was hearing an application by Mr Girish Bharadwaj seeking early hearing of the matter on the grounds that the petition was pending since August 2023 and the election schedule has already been announced by the Election Commission.
The high court, however, declined to advance the date of hearing but said an endeavour will be made to hear and dispose of the petition on April 10.
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The petitioner said eight opportunities have already been given to the Centre and the opposition parties but they have not yet filed their replies.
Earlier, the Election Commission told the court that it did not have any legal authority to regulate “political alliances”, while responding to the petition.
The poll panel had said it had the power to conduct elections and register entities as a political party, but “political alliances” were not recognised as “regulated entities” under the Representation of the People Act or the Indian Constitution.
Mr Bharadwaj has sought a stay over the use of the acronym I.N.D.I.A. by the political parties and to also prohibit the use of the national flag with it.
Political parties that have been arrayed as respondents are Indian National Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Aam Aadmi Party, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi).
