PIL filed in SC challenging automatic disqualification of elected representatives

New Delhi: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the "automatic disqualification" of elected representatives on conviction. The PIL comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP following his conviction in a 2019 defamation case. The petitioner, Aabha Muralidharan, a Kerala-based activist, has submitted that "section 8(3) is promoting a platform for false political agendas to be pursued by different political parties in the name of disqualification and hence is directly attacking the democratic structure of the people's representative in pursuance of political interest which can also cause unrest to the electoral system of the country." The PIL raises concerns about the impact of the provision on the democratic structure of the country and its potential to promote false political agendas pursued by different political parties. It argues that the automatic disqualification of elected representatives on conviction may cause unrest in the electoral system of the country.