A Congress leader has moved the Supreme Court of India, questioning a televised speech by Narendra Modi on April 18, claiming it violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The petition, filed by former MP T. N. Prathapan, objects to the speech being aired on government-run channels like Doordarshan and Sansad TV. It argues that public platforms were used to broadcast a politically loaded message during an ongoing election period.

As per the plea, the Prime Minister’s speech, delivered around 8:30 PM amid discussions on women’s reservation, criticised opposition parties including Congress, TMC, DMK and the Samajwadi Party, and called on voters to hold them accountable.

Prathapan has argued that using state-controlled media in this way amounts to misuse of official machinery and could be treated as a “corrupt practice” under the Representation of the People Act. He also pointed out that the broadcast happened when the MCC was in force in Kerala, making the issue more serious.

The petition further claims that the Election Commission of India did not act on an earlier complaint, which, according to the petitioner, is a failure to perform its duty under Article 324 to ensure free and fair elections.

The speech came soon after the Lok Sabha rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which had proposed increasing parliamentary seats and included provisions related to women’s representation