SC says no plea to budget announcement postponement

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea filed by lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma in which he demanded the budget be presented in March.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar said they would hear the matter in due course of time.

"I have mentioned the matter before the bench of the apex court seeking postponing of the annual budget to be presented by the government in view of impending assembly polls," Sharma told ANI.

"The apex court, however, said they would hear the matter on due course of time," said Sharma.

On Thursday the opposition demanded the date for budget presentation be shifted till after the elections get over.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and others said they were not in favour of February 1 as the start of the budget session.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the negation has been put forward as it would lead to biased elections, which are against the constitution and democracy, adding further that they have no problem with any date post elections.

"If the government wants, it can call session from 31. But, only the budget should be presented post March 8, as it is the last date of elections. It can choose any date after March 8 as it can announce it any day before March 31," he said.

TMC leader Derek O'Brien resonated the same saying the Centre can present the budget after March 8, once the elections get over.

"It is about 15-16 opposition parties together. There is a simple solution - the government has enough time to present the budget after March 8. It can get it passed before March 31. That is the fair way of doing," he said.