Overview
- The Delhi High Court Division Bench of Justices V. Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora dismissed the advertisers' appeal in an order dated June 19, upholding the Election Commission's 2019 direction.
- The judgment found the ban limited and reasonable, saying it protects a level playing field for elections and does not amount to a total ban on the appellants' business rights under Article 19.
- The court accepted the ECI's use of its Article 324 powers to direct the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to remove political material during the Model Code of Conduct and held that DMRC, as a public undertaking, must comply.
- The bench rejected claims of unlawful discrimination by distinguishing metro trains and stations as spaces closely identified with government authority and therefore eligible for temporary special rules.
- The ruling leaves political advertising barred in metro property during MCC periods, creates legal clarity for public transit advertising contracts, and could shape how other public bodies balance election fairness with commercial leases.