cannot stop people from contesting polls if they are named after political leaders like Rahul Gandhi Or Narender Modi

NATIONAL - Rejecting a request for a ban on namesake candidates in elections, the Supreme Court today said it cannot stop people from contesting polls if they are named after political leaders.
Petitioner Sabu Stephen had moved a public interest litigation, arguing that namesake candidates are propped up in high-profile seats to mislead voters. The petitioner stressed that the presence of such candidates has often led to heavyweight candidates losing by a slim margin. The petition sought a direction to the Election Commission of India to take urgent steps to stop this trend in the interest of a free and fair election process.
Refusing to hear the matter, Justice BR Gavai said, "If parents have given similar names to candidates, how can they be prevented from contesting polls? Like Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav." The court allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition.