Congress leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) TN Prathapan has moved the Supreme Court challenging the televised address delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aired by public service broadcaster Doordarshan on April 18.

Congress leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) TN Prathapan has moved the Supreme Court challenging the televised address delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aired by public service broadcaster Doordarshan on April 18.

According to the plea, the Prime Minister delivered the address at around 8:30 PM on April 18, shortly after the political developments surrounding the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill, during which he criticised several opposition parties by name.The plea has alleged misuse of government-controlled television channels to criticise opposition parties during an active election period, an act which Prathapan has claimed is a violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The petition states that in his speech, the Prime Minister referred to and criticised parties including the Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of opposing the Nari Shakti Vandan measure and urging voters to hold them accountable.The plea alleges that the speech was broadcast live on Doordarshan and Sansad TV, both of which are funded entirely from the public exchequer and function under government control.

According to the Prathapan, the use of such publicly funded platforms to deliver a partisan political message during the currency of elections amounts to misuse of official machinery and constitutes a “corrupt practice” under Section 123(7)of the Representation of the People Act.The plea further states that the broadcast was carried during the period when the Model Code of Conduct was in force for the Kerala Assembly elections, and therefore violated provisions prohibiting the use of public resources for electoral advantage.

It also alleged that despite submitting a formal representation highlighting the broadcast, the Election Commission of India failed to take any action.The petition contends that such inaction amounts to an abdication of the Commission’s constitutional responsibility under Article 324, which vests it with powers to ensure free and fair elections.

The April 18 speech was delivered by the Prime Minister following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Bill proposed expanding the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats.Two other Bills were also proposed to be passed by the government but failed floor test.

The Prime Minister in his speech on Doordarshan attributed this defeat to the opposition parties. He described the Bill’s defeat as an act of “foeticide” against women’s political representation. He concluded the 30-minute address by asking the electorate to hold the opposition parties accountable.

According to the plea by Prathapan, this speech created an uneven electoral field by allowing the ruling party to utilise state-funded media to criticise political opponents while other candidates remained bound by MCC restrictions.

Prathapan, who is currently contesting the Manaloor Assembly constituency in the ongoing Kerala Assembly elections, has sought directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action against what he describes as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.