Police complaint filed against Opposition for ‘improper use’ of ‘INDIA’

A day after 26 Opposition parties formed an alliance and named it ‘INDIA’ or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024 together, Delhi police registered a complaint against all 26 parties “for improper use of the name of INDIA and for the undue influence.”
The complainant, a lawyer named Avneesh Mishra, has requested necessary action against each of the parties involved in the alliance under the Emblems Act, 2022. According to Mishra’s complaint against the parties, under the Act, no one can use the name “India” for their personal benefit. The Opposition alliance comprised of 26 parties came up with a name for the partnership for the Lok Sabha polls due next year and announced that it would be called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA on Tuesday.
The complaint, which was lodged at the Barakhama Police station in the national capital, has been filed against the Indian National Congress (INC), All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Janta Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), All India Forward Bloc, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kongunadu Makkal Desai Katchi (KMDK), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), Indian Union Muslim League (1UML), and Kerala Congress (M), Kerala Congress (Joseph).
The case has been registered under Section 2(c) of the Emblems Act, which states that “names” can include abbreviations or short forms of a particular name. Notably, Section 5 of the Act provides for a punishment with a fine which “may extend to five hundred rupees to be imposed on any person who is found to be contravening provisions of Section 3 of the Emblems Act.” “The act of the aforenamed political parties to name their alliance as INDIA’ has certainly hurt the sentiments of all Indians who identify themselves as citizens of ‘INDIA’,” the complaint further read.