The SC agrees to hear a request for a standard format for election programs

Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the BJP manifesto for the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections in Kolkata. | Photo credit: RV Moorthy

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) agreed to draw up a list to hear an application for a standard format for political parties’ election manifestos so that their intentions and views on issues are clear to voters.

In oral submissions before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, petitioner’s counsel Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay said that even the Supreme Court and state high courts have highly structured schemes in the form of case lists designed to inform advocates, litigants and court officials about the day-to-day scheduling of cases.

On the other hand, according to him, the format of election programs was left to the discretion of individual political parties.

Mr. Upadhyay said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must consider a uniform format for manifestos.

“We will list this petition,” Chief Justice Kant said.

Mr Upadhyay argued that the election manifesto was “a vision document, a published statement of the intentions, motives and views of a political party”.

“That’s why it’s legal and legally enforceable,” he said.

In the 2022 petition, the petitioner-advocate sought to direct the Ministry of Law and Justice to take appropriate steps to hold political parties accountable for substantive rational manifesto promises, or alternatively direct the ECI to exercise its constitutional powers in plenary to frame guidelines for holding parties accountable for their manifesto promises.

In this petition, Mr. Upadhyay even sought a direction from the court to the European Commission to seize the election symbol and de-recognize/de-register political parties that fail to fulfill their basic rational promises made in their election manifestos.

Published – 16 Sep 2026 12:25 PM IST