The Election Commission of India on March 20, 2017 informed the SC it was in favour of barring convicted persons from contesting polls for life and stopping the entry into judiciary and the executive.
Commission also said it will set up special courts to decide criminal cases linked to judiciary, bureaucracy and people's reps.
In its affidavit filed in response to a PIL seeking setting up special courts for trial of criminal cases against people from the legislature, executive and judiciary, the Election Commission said the issues raised by the petitioner, Delhi BJP spokesperson and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhaya, are not adversarial.
With regard to direction for setting a minimum qualification and maximum age limit for legislators, the commission said the issue is in legislative domain and will require amendment to the Constitution.
The commission said it has been championing the cause of decriminalisation of politics within the constitutional and statutory framework, wherever possible with the aid of article 324, relating to the functions and powers of the poll body.
It has also issued necessary instructions in support of the mandate to conduct free and fair elections and to decriminalize democracy.
