'Voters' right to know not absolute': Supreme Court rules election candidates need not disclose every property owned by them

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday said that candidates contesting elections need not disclose each and every moveable property owned by them or their dependents, legal site Live Law reported. The apex court said that candidates need to disclose information about property that is of substantial value or reflects a luxurious lifestyle.

The direction came as the apex court upheld the election of Independent MLA Karikho Kri from Tezu in the 2019 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly election. 

The SC said a voter had no absolute right to know about each and every asset of a candidate and that a candidate had the right to privacy regarding matters irrelevant to his/her candidature.

The top court set aside the Gauhati High Court order that had declared the election of Karikho Kri from Tezu assembly constituency in Lohit district in 2019 as void. 

In the petition, Karikho Kri's opponent had claimed that the MLA "exercised undue influence" by not disclosing three vehicles owned by his wife and son while filing his nomination.

The Gauhati High Court court gave the verdict in response to an election petition filed by Congress candidate Nuney Tayang, challenging the declaration of the 2019 Assembly election result. Tayang alleged that Kri made false declarations in his election nomination paper by not disclosing that he was in occupation of a government accommodation, namely MLA Cottage No 1 located in 'E' Sector, Itanagar.

The petitioner also claimed that Kri did not submit "No Dues Certificates" from the concerned department for the rent, electricity charges, water charges, and telephone charges of the government accommodation.

The election was held on April 11, 2019 and the result was declared on May 27, with Kri being declared the winner as an Independent candidate.

(With inputs from PTI)