Maharashtra has surpassed other states in 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram': SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday took a swipe at the rapidly changing political affiliations in Maharashtra over the past two years, remarking that the state has perhaps made the term "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram" (loosely translated to "easy come, easy go") seem feeble in comparison to its political landscape.

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI:

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and AG Masih made the observation while hearing a case related to the disqualification of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs from Telangana who defected to Congress.

During the hearing, the court noted that the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, meant to curb political defections, is being rendered meaningless by prolonged inaction on disqualification pleas. "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram originated from my brother's (justice Masih's) state (Punjab & Haryana), but I feel Maharashtra has surpassed all other states in recent years," the bench remarked, underscoring the scale of political upheavals in the state.

'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' became a popular phrase in the Indian political system after an MLA from Haryana, Gaya Lal, changed his party three times on the same day in 1967. In the years that followed, defections by legislators resulted in the fall of several state governments, necessitating President's Rule. The growing trend led Parliament to contemplate a law to curb the practice. Finally, in 1985, the Constitution was amended to institutionalise the concept of disqualification on the ground of defection and the 10th Schedule was added, which is commonly referred to as the anti-defection law. The law applied to both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.