SC dismisses plea to defer Union Budget, calls it 'absurd'

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking to delay the Union Budget to be presented on February 1.

The Supreme Court has rejected a plea seeking to delay the Union Budget to be presented on February 1. The plea had sought postponement of the Budget on the ground that five state were going to polls.

Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, who headed the bench termed the petition as absurd. "Your argument is absurd. This way you will say that a party at the centre should not contest the state polls," the CJI observed while junking the plea.

The petition had sought postponement of the budget date citing elections in five states. The SC had earlier refused to accord urgent hearing on the plea. The PIL had asked the court to direct the centre to present the Union Budget in the financial year 2017-18 which would commence from 1 April, instead of the proposed date of February 1.

The petitioner, advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, also sought that the Central government be restrained from declaring any relief, programme, financial budget until elections conclude as they would violate the Model Code of Conduct.

OneIndia News