A Division Bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice Arul Murugan said that the Election Commission of India would address any violation of the Model Code of Conduct, and that the Commission is competent to deal with such issues.
The petition had asked the Court to direct that IPL matches be conducted only after the elections, or in the alternative, to ensure strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct during the matches. It had also sought a prohibition on the display of political symbols and campaign material at match venues.
The Bench observed that if any breach of the Model Code of Conduct occurs, the Election Commission would take appropriate action. It added that several judicial decisions have already recognised the Commission’s role in such matters.
The Court also took note of the fact that one IPL match had already been held without any reported issue. “It’s a mere apprehension. One match is over. If you are not able to point out anything, what happens? You saw the match or not? What happened? Nothing happened,” the Bench remarked.
In a lighter vein, the Court further observed, “You enjoyed the match. Enjoy the second match also.”
At the same time, the Bench clarified that any citizen remains free to approach the Election Commission with a grievance if any violation is noticed.
Following the Court’s observations, the petitioner chose to withdraw the plea.
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