New Delhi, June 12: The Supreme Court will hear Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s petition today, challenging the rejection of her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh.
Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar’s vacation bench assured prompt hearing on Thursday after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Natarajan, requested an immediate listing of the case.
Singhvi highlighted that Thursday was the last date for withdrawing nominations. He argued that without immediate hearing, the petitioner might have to wait six years for effective relief.
He also urged the Supreme Court to impose a stay on the announcement of election results until the dispute is resolved. However, the bench, led by Justice Mishra, declined to issue any interim orders, confirming that the hearing would take place today.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the returning officer, and senior advocate D.S. Naidu, representing the Election Commission, opposed the plea for urgent intervention.
Natarajan approached the Supreme Court after her nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer, following objections from the BJP. The objection claimed that Natarajan failed to disclose a pending case in a Telangana court in her affidavit.
The BJP’s objection was based on a petition filed by former corporate executive A. Shrilata in the Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Hyderabad. The petition alleged that Natarajan provided political protection to Kumbham Shivakumar Reddy, who faced accusations of harassment and criminal intimidation.
Natarajan dismissed the allegations, labeling them as part of a political conspiracy, and opposed Shrilata’s petition in the Hyderabad court.
Previously, the Congress leader alleged that the returning officer was influenced and acted under government directives. As the sole Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, Natarajan claimed that rejecting her nomination was an attempt to undermine democracy. She also criticized the BJP-led central government, asserting that the returning officer was functioning as spokespersons for the ruling party rather than independent constitutional authorities.
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P.S.K.
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