Ban on caste rallies: Allahabad HC issues notice to four political parties

The court grants last chance to the counsel for the Union of India to file reply, if any, as the plea has been pending since 2013 and no reply has been filed by the Centre till now

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has issued a fresh notice to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress on a plea related to ban on caste-based rallies.

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition was filed by a Lucknow lawyer Moti Lal Yadav in 2013. (For Representation)

The court directed to list the matter for next hearing on April 10. Moreover, the court has granted a last chance to the counsel for the Union of India to file reply, if any, as the plea has been pending since 2013 and no reply has been filed by the Centre till now.

The order was passed by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Jaspreet Singh on March 18, 2024, in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by a local lawyer Moti Lal Yadav in 2013.

The petitioner sought directives from the court to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to derecognise political parties that hold caste-based rallies. The petitioner said such rallies should be totally banned especially at the time of election, the counsel requested to the court.

The petitioner had included political parties such as the BJP, the SP, the BSP, and the Congress, as well as both the state and central governments along with ECI as respondents in the PIL petition.

The court was informed that the counter affidavits (replies to the plea) had already been filed by the ECI and the state government in the matter.