The Supreme Court dismissed on Friday the petition filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan, who had challenged her rejection by the Returning Officer of the nominations in Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, in a severe blow to the Congress party. It is a move that, to the good of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as all three candidates will likely win seats in the Upper House of Parliament. The Supreme Court said candidates are under a duty to reveal all outstanding criminal cases as they file nomination papers, no matter the nature of the pending litigation. The court added to the Election Commission’s argument that, without such information, the nomination can be rejected. The Election Commission’s counsel told the court that full disclosure of pending legal matters is required, according to reports. The counsel maintained that the Returning Officer had been acting the right way by refusing the nomination, and did not commit any error.
Why was Meenakshi Natarajan’s Nomination Rejected?
The BJP leaders involved in the controversy said Meenakshi Natarajan had denied information on a summons to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Hyderabad. The BJP said the omission constituted an election rule violation and was a reason behind a rejection of her nomination. Congress, however, was firmly opposed to the decision. The party claimed no criminal case against Natarajan was pending and said the case the BJP cited concerned a private complaint only. The court had not yet taken cognizance of the matter, Congress leaders continued, and no charges against her had been framed. Natarajan was represented by lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior leader of the Congress, before the Supreme Court. Candidates should only be obligated to disclose cases where judicial proceedings are formally pending. No charges had been framed, and because the cognizance subject matter continued to be undecided, there was no requirement for disclosure, Singhvi added.
The bench of the court was not convinced by the statements put forward by the Congress leader. The bench stated that once a nomination is rejected, the proper remedy usually lies with the Election Commission rather than direct intervention by the courts. The court further noted that it generally does not intervene in election-related nomination disputes at this stage of a campaign, even if there are questions regarding the correctness of the decision. Congress Faces Political Strains Natarajan's nomination is a major political challenge for Congress in the state of Madhya Pradesh in response to the rejection. She was the party’s sole candidate for Rajya Sabha elections. BJP candidates are expected to capture all seats open to the candidates, with her nomination cancelled. More recently, senior Congress leaders such as KC Venugopal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi had sought relief from Election Commission officials. But the Supreme Court’s ruling has effectively shut down the legal avenue for instant intervention. Meenakshi Natarajan Reacts Meenakshi Natarajan did not directly criticize the Supreme Court or the Election Commission following the verdict. She also said briefly that everyone knows the Election Commission’s stance and said she declined to be more in-depth about the court’s decision. The ruling is another significant aspect of the continuing political tussles between the Congress and BJP ahead of important parliamentary proceedings
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