Friday, the Supreme Court denied a petition filed in the public interest to prevent 26 opposition political parties from using the acronym I.N.D.I.A (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) for their alliance.
The bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhan Dhulia determined that the petition was filed for ‘publicity,’ prompting petitioner Rohit Kheriwal to withdraw it.
Twenty-six opposition parties, led by the Congress, announced last month their intention to unite and compete against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In addition, they declared that they would run under the acronym I.N.D.I.A., which stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
Intriguingly, on August 4, the Delhi High Court issued notice to 26 opposition political parties and the Election Commission of India in response to a similar PIL seeking to prohibit opposition parties from using the acronym I.N.D.I.A.
Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Amit Mahajan of the High Court had sought the response of political parties and the election commission to a petition filed by activist Girish Bharadwaj, who claimed that the use of the name INDIA is prohibited under Sections 2 and 3 of The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1950.
