NEW DELHI: An important judgment of the Supreme Court says that special protection cannot be given to MPs and MLAs who take bribes for votes. The bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud overturned the 1998 judgment. Supreme Court has clarified that accepting bribes for votes is a criminal act. Supreme Court also said that excluding MLAs and MPs in corruption cases would send a wrong message.

The court held that bribery was not protected by parliamentary rights and that the interpretation of the 1998 judgment was contrary to Articles 105 and 194 of the Constitution. Bribery for speech and vote is tantamount to destroying democracy. Chief Justice clarified that this cannot be accepted. Judgment in the Narasimha Rao case states that voting in Parliament by accepting money is protected under Articles 105 and 194 of the Constitution.

Sita Soren, the daughter-in-law of JMM leader Shibu Soren, had approached the Supreme Court demanding that she be acquitted as per the 1998 verdict in the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections. A seven-member constitution bench of the Supreme Court has now delivered the verdict in this case.