NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court asked whether it was right to allow a convicted politician to hold a party position and decide the candidate for elections which he could not contest himself. On Monday, the court asked the government to respond within two weeks to a petition that sought to ban convicted people from floating new political parties or holding party posts. "What you cannot do individually, can you try and do collectively," a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked union counsel Pinky Anand. The Election Commission has backed the suggestion in the petition, but said it lacked the legal framework needed to take action. But he can float a (political) party and select candidates."

Source: Economic Times February 12, 2018 15:00 UTC