The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it was contemplating whether political parties could be asked to disclose the antecedents of their members so that the electors “have the right to informed choice”.

The observation came from a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra while reserving its decision on a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking a ban on chargesheeted politicians from contesting elections.

Senior advocate Krishnan Venugopal, appearing for Mr. Upadhyay, said the court may direct the Election Commission of India to take steps to ensure that political parties do not allow politicians facing criminal charges to contest on their tickets and symbols. Mr. Venugopal that “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion” should be made applicable in case of politicians.

The Centre, represented by Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, contended that the judiciary should not venture into the legislative arena by creating a pre-condition which would adversely affect the right of the candidates to participate in polls.

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