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Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan could not get immediate relief from the Supreme Court on Thursday in the matter of cancellation of her nomination papers in Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections. The Supreme Court refused to hear the case immediately and said that it would be heard on Friday.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Meenakshi Natarajan, mentioned the matter before the court and sought an immediate stay on the decision of the returning officer. He argued that in view of the deadline of the nomination process, prompt intervention of the court is necessary.

Supreme Court postponed the hearing

The matter was mentioned before a two-member bench headed by Justice Prashant Kumar. During the hearing, Singhvi cited Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act and said that the decision to cancel the nomination is not justified and it should be stopped immediately.

However, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, on behalf of the returning officer, opposed this. After hearing the preliminary arguments of both the sides, the court said that the relevant law and previous judicial decisions are clear and the matter will be heard in detail on Friday.

Reached Supreme Court after not getting response from Election Commission

Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan approached the Supreme Court after complaining to the Election Commission and not getting any satisfactory response. A Congress delegation met the Election Commission on Wednesday, but no decision came from the Commission.

After this, Natarajan filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding a stay on the order of the Returning Officer and declaring his nomination valid.

Why was the nomination cancelled?

It is mandatory for the candidates to fill Form-26 along with the nomination papers filed for Rajya Sabha elections. In this form, candidates are required to give information about all the criminal cases registered against them and pending cases.

According to Returning Officer Arvind Sharma, Meenakshi Natarajan had not given information about a case pending in Telangana in Form-26. On this basis his nomination paper was rejected.

According to election rules, no column of Form-26 can be left blank. If any case does not exist then the candidate has to write ‘Nil’ or ‘Not applicable’. Officials say that in the absence of necessary information the nomination cannot be considered valid.

Political and legal eyes now on Friday’s hearing

This matter is also considered politically important amid the process of Rajya Sabha elections. Congress is challenging this decision, while election officials say that the action has been taken completely as per the rules.

Now all eyes are on the hearing to be held on Friday, where the Supreme Court will decide whether to interfere with the returning officer’s order or not. This decision may also impact the political picture of Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections.