MP High Court Issues Notice To Three Rajya Sabha MPs On Meenakshi Natarajan's Election Plea

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The principal bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur on Tuesday ordered to issue notice to three Rajya Sabha members, Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Kumar Agarwal and Mahesh Kewat, the Election Commission of India and the Returning Officer for the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections in connection with an election petition filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan.

The election petition was filed by Meenakshi Natarajan. The bench of Justice BP Sharma ordered issuance of notices.

Bharatiya Janata Party had swept the Rajya Sabha elections by winning all three seats unopposed on June 11 this year.

The clean sweep came after Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers were rejected following an objection over an undisclosed pending case in Hyderabad.

Senior advocate Ajay Gupta, appearing for the petitioner, said the election petition challenged the improper rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers and improper acceptance of BJP candidate Mahesh Kewat's nomination papers.

According to the petitioner, if the election petition is ultimately allowed, the election of all three returned Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh - Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Kumar Agarwal and Mahesh Kewat - would stand set aside, irrespective of whether the nomination papers of the other two candidates were otherwise valid. The next hearing will take place on September 11.