Opposition has challenged government's plan to announce 2017 union budget on February 1.
Highlights
- Government's proposed budget announcement is February 1
- Opposition parties challenge it, say violates Model Code of Conduct
- Voting in five states begin on February 4; counting on March 11
The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a request that asks for the government's annual budget to be postponed from February 1 to after elections are held in five states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The Finance Ministry started printing the budget documents yesterday.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) calls for the delay over concerns that the centre could seek to influence the outcome of the polls with populist spending promises.
Election rules do not allow governments to offer such giveaways or make any announcements that could skew voters towards the party in power at the centre or in states.
PM Modi's government announced last autumn that it would deliver its budget a month earlier than usual for the 2017/18 financial year. The budget session of parliament will start on January 31 when the government is expected to present the Economic Survey, which sets the scene for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's fourth annual budget.
The cabinet decided last September to merge the railway budget with the annual budget, ending a nearly century-long practice. It also advanced the date of the general budget, usually the last working day in February, to ensure proposals take effect from April 1.
"The budget should be presented in April. The government should not release it in February, as the state elections are starting soon," said lawyer ML Sharma, who filed the deferment plea earlier this month, claiming that a February 1 budget would violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that governs elections.
The five state elections begin on February 4 in Punjab and Goa, followed by Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh (which votes on seven days) and Manipur. Results for all will be announced on March 11.
A Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, will begin hearing the case on Monday, but it is not clear how quickly it will deliver a ruling.