If you don't vote, don't crib, "no right" to question or blame the government- Supreme court

TT, PTI, New Delhi, Feb. 5: If you don't vote, you have "no right" to question or blame the government, the Supreme Court has said.

An activist who is seeking a blanket order to remove encroachments across the country had admitted in court that he never voted.

"One can't blame the government for everything. If a person does not cast his vote, then he has no right to question the government," a bench headed by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said.

The bench, which also included Justices N.V. Ramana and D.Y. Chandrachud, said it was not possible for it to look into encroachments sitting in Delhi and asked the petitioner to approach the respective high courts.

Dhanesh Ieshdhan, appearing in person for the Delhi-based NGO Voice of India, said the governments do not do anything to remove encroachments and kept insisting on a blanket order.

The bench asked Ieshdhan whether he has voted or not. "To be honest, I have never voted in my life," Ieshdhan responded, drawing the rap. "We do not have so much power to order a clean sweep of encroachments. If we pass any order, then contempt cases and other petitions will pile up. It's not possible," the bench said. "If you do not move high courts, we will feel that you are here for publicity," it added. On August 26 last year, the apex court had said it cannot order the establishment of "Ram Rajya" in the country. "Do you think we will pass an order that there will be no corruption in the country and all corruption will go?" the court had asked.