Bombay HC Rejects Review Petition Against Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Sanjay Dina Patil’s Lok Sabha Victory

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday rejected a review petition filed by Shahaji Nanai Thorat, a Lok Sabha candidate from Mumbai, against the election victory of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Dina Patil. Thorat’s original election petition was dismissed on November 26, 2024, for failing to implead all contesting candidates.

Justice Sandeep Marne, presiding over the review plea, stated that he cannot review his own judgement, and that Thorat would have to file an appeal. Justice Marne focused solely on the maintainability of the review petition rather than its merits.

Thorat, a taxi driver, initially filed his petition against only the Election Commission and Patil. Later, he sought to add all 18 candidates from the constituency, but the court ruled this couldn’t be done at a later stage to prevent dismissal. Advocates Vijay Nair and Prashant Kulkarni, representing Patil, argued that the review was an attempt to circumvent the 30-day appeal window.

Thorat’s counsel, Prosper D’Souza, contended that the petitioner had originally included all candidates but removed them based on a suggestion from the High Court registry. He further argued that the case involved a larger corruption issue.

Thorat claimed that Patil’s failure to mention his mother’s name, as mandated by the Maharashtra government’s March 14, 2024, order, invalidated his candidacy. Patil won the Mumbai North-East seat by 29,800 votes, defeating BJP’s Mihir Kotecha.