The Lawyers Association will today petition the Election Commission (EC) to take action against the Constitution Drafting Committee for allegedly directing people's thoughts by only highlighting the good side of the draft charter.
The Referendum Act, which is aimed to ensure a fair vote at the Aug 7 referendum on the draft charter, prohibits influencing public opinion to vote for or against the new charter.
However, the CDC is challenging the law with one-sided information in its charter explanation documents distributed to people, association chairman Narinphong Chinaphak said yesterday.
"If the EC ignores our request, we'll consider its response as dereliction of duty," he said.
The move came after various groups have voiced support for as well as opposition to the 279-section charter, dubbed to be an anti-corruption document. The election watchdog has to make sure the debate is based on good faith without interrupting the referendum, he said.
Among supporters of the draft charter is Suthep Thaugsuban, chairman of the Muan Maha Prachachon for Reforms Foundation, who led people to rally against the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, a precursor to the 2014 coup.