New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan challenging the rejection of her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh, holding that such disputes must be addressed through the election law framework and not through a writ petition.
The apex court declined to entertain the plea, observing that judicial intervention in election matters is restricted under Article 329 of the Constitution, reported The Hindu. The court held that the petition was not maintainable and granted Natarajan liberty to challenge the rejection through an election petition under the Representation of the People Act.
Natarajan had approached the apex court after her nomination papers for the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections were rejected by the Returning Officer in Madhya Pradesh. The rejection followed objections that she had failed to disclose details of a matter pending before a court in Telangana in her nomination affidavit.
The Congress leader argued before the court that the Returning Officer had wrongly rejected her candidature and sought urgent judicial intervention ahead of the election. However, the Supreme Court reiterated that election-related grievances should ordinarily be resolved through the statutory remedies provided under election law.
The court had on Thursday agreed to hear Natarajan’s plea but had refused to stay the Rajya Sabha election process or the declaration of results.
The controversy arose after the Returning Officer rejected Natarajan’s nomination during scrutiny, citing alleged non-disclosure of a pending case. Congress has maintained that no criminal case is pending against her and has alleged that the rejection was unjustified. The party had also approached the Election Commission seeking reversal of the Returning Officer’s decision.
