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New Delhi:

The current trend of defection in political parties that end up with the defecting faction being recognised as the “real” party, was slammed by the Supreme Court today, which called it a “mockery of voters”.

Hearing a petition of the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, the court made it clear the situation bypasses the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which was put in place to bar defections and the subsequent political instability.

The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) had gone to court to challenge the award of party name and symbol to the Ajit Pawar faction by the Election Commission.

The poll body’s decision was in line with its earlier order that awarded the party name and symbol to the rebel faction of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, who subsequently became the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

“When the Election Commission is recognising a faction only on basis of legislative strength and not organisational strength, is it not recognizing a split, which is no longer approved under the tenth schedule,” said Justice J Vishwanathan.

“That way, you can engineer defections and claim the party symbol. Will it not be mockery of the voter?” the judge added.