Congress faced a legal setback on Friday over the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha election. The Supreme Court rejected a plea filed by the party’s candidate Meenakshi Natarajan challenging the rejection of her nomination papers.
Natarajan had approached the Supreme Court seeking reinstatement of her nomination amid the Rajya Sabha election battle. However, the apex court bench refused to entertain the plea, making it clear that the court cannot intervene while the election process is underway.
Noting that the matter can be challenged through legal process after the election is completed, the bench said that the scope for judicial intervention in an ongoing election process is very limited.
It may be noted that the Returning Officer had rejected Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination based on objections raised by the BJP during scrutiny of nomination papers. According to the allegation, she had not disclosed information in her election affidavit about a case pending in Telangana.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Congress in court, argued that the said case is still at a preliminary stage. The court has not taken cognizance of the case nor framed charges. Therefore, he claimed that non-disclosure of that information cannot be grounds for rejecting the nomination.
Meanwhile, refusing to interfere with the Returning Officer’s decision, the Supreme Court clarified that filing an election petition after the completion of the election is the appropriate legal remedy in this case.
This decision is expected to impact Congress’s prospects in the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha election. Meanwhile, after the court’s ruling, a fresh political debate has begun between Congress and BJP over the issue.
While Congress leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, the BJP termed it a proper application of electoral rules and regulations. However, the option to legally challenge the rejection of the nomination after the election concludes remains open for Natarajan.
