Candidates cant seek votes in name of religion, race, caste, community or language: SC

New Delhi: Any appeal for votes on the ground of religion, race, caste, community or language will amount to corrupt practice under section 123(3) of the Representation of The 1951 Peoples (RP) Act as per the Supreme Court order today which was a split verdict heard by a 7-judge bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur and justices MB Lokur, SA Bobde, AK Goel, UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao. In 1995, in the case of Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena leader) versus NB Patil, a three-judge bench had found that statement by Joshi that “first Hindu State will be established in Maharashtra did not amount to appeal on ground of religion”. The verdict was challenged in the Supreme Court.