A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Bombay High Court seeking a paragraph on the “split and merger” of political parties in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution be declared illegal and ultra vires and in contravention of its basic structure. According to the PTI report, the petitioner Meenakshi Menon, a media & marketing professional and a founder trustee of NGP Vanshakti, claimed that this provision was used by politiicans for group defections and voters are betrayed because of such unabated defections.

“Unabated group defections in the form of splits and mergers under paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution has become a part of political culture with complete disregard to the act of betrayal to voters,” the PTI report cited the PIL.