New Delhi: The Election Commission of India today (Apr 5, 2004) sought time till Thursday (Apr 8, 2004) from the Supreme Court to put in place a guideline to monitor the court-imposed ban on telecast of political advertisements, which are offensive to the viewers.

The court said, "We do not want any dirt or dust on the electronic media. The position of the EC is vital for holding proper elections."

"We want fair play. We do not want one political party to remark against the other. We do not want one leader to remark against the other if it is political mudslinging."

The court warned that it wants to make political mudslinging an "electoral offence". This would mean anybody indulging in political mudslinging could be disqualified even after his election from a constituency.