Court notice to Tamil Nadu government on freebies

Chennai: The Madras High Court Thursday issued notice to Tamil Nadu government giving two weeks time to respond on a petition filed by a city advocate S. Subramaniam Balaji against various freebies.

Balaji contended that freebies like laptops, mixers, grinders, rice, cattle, fan and others are `ultra vires' the Indian Constitution and the Representation of People's Act.

He said the freebies would be a heavy burden on the state finances and cited Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's statement that the financial position of the State is precarious and that the total debt of Tamil Nadu has exceeded Rs.145,000 crore.

"The present package for intended free distribution would add another Rs.100,000 crore to be paid out of the exchequer of Tamil Nadu state in a period of five years," Balaji contended.

According to him a promise of an unconstitutionality at an election is prohibited under Article 173 of the Constitution of India.

As such all the contestants of both the AIADMK and DMK led fronts in recent assembly elections had promised an illegality and unconstitutionality and are therefore liable to be disqualified.

"All the alliance party candidates impliedly and expressly supported the free distribution offered by these two major parties by not coming out impliedly or expressly against these free distribution as election bribes," Balaji contended in his petition.