Supreme Court Slams States For Handing Out Freebies Ahead of Elections
India's Supreme Court has once again criticised pre-poll freebies, this time taking issue with plans to provide free electricity ahead of the Tamil Nadu state elections. In its observations on Thursday (Feb 19), the court said that even states that are not financially doing well are offering such freebies. It slammed indiscriminate free electricity and other benefits by revenue-deficient states, warning that such largesse harms economic development and work culture. But we have been here before. The apex court has often been reluctant to make any specific ruling to regulate the matter, leaving it to the election body and parliament. It leaves a grey area that often allows pre-election freebies to thrive, possibly affecting election outcomes for years now. Here is an analysis.
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