Will abide by legal process in probe against politicians: EC

NEW DELHI: Amid the Opposition charge of being targeted by central probe agencies in the poll season, the Election Commission on Tuesday said it is committed to protecting level playing field but asserted that it is not correct to take any step that can overlap the legal and judicial process.

Several political parties from the INDIA bloc had approached the poll panel seeking its intervention in the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the government to target their leaders over graft. Following the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate, the opposition parties had mounted renewed attack on the government for its alleged bid to silence their leaders ahead of parliamentary elections.

The EC said it was guided by constitutional wisdom when presented with “live situations” involving political persons which have been under active consideration and orders of the courts based on criminal investigations. “While the Commission remained unwaveringly committed to protection of level playing field and campaign entitlement of political parties and candidates, it has not found it correct to take any step that could overlap or overrun the legal judicial process,” it said.

The poll panel said though it is not obliged to do so, it has put in public domain, for the first time, its enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during first month of its operation, along with details of action taken. It said its move will help address and stop misgivings and insinuations coming from certain quarters, however small or limited.