Rajya Sabha Nomination Rejection: MP High Court Issues Notice to ECI, Elected MPs on Meenakshi Natarajan’s Plea

Jabalpur: Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan filed a petition in the High Court challenging the rejection of her nomination for the Rajya Sabha. A single bench of the High Court, presided over by Justice BP Sharma, heard the petition and issued notices seeking responses from the three Rajya Sabha members elected from Madhya Pradesh as well as other respondents. The next hearing on the election petition is scheduled for September 11.

The election petition filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan stated that she had submitted her nomination for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. Following an objection, the Returning Officer rejected her nomination in a manner contrary to the rules after conducting a hearing.

In the petition filed in the High Court, Meenakshi Natarajan said, "I was named a respondent in a private complaint filed by a woman in a Telangana court. Because I was named as a respondent, the court issued a notice to me to present my side. There is no criminal case registered or pending against me."

She continued, "When an objection was raised regarding my nomination, the Returning Officer hastily rejected it because I had concealed information about a case pending in court. There are no allegations against me in the complaint filed in Telangana. I was merely named as a respondent as a formality. My nomination was rejected solely for this reason."

The petition names the following as respondents: Rajya Sabha members elected from Madhya Pradesh—Tarun Chugh, Rajnish Kumar Agrawal, and Mahesh Kevat—along with the Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India, the Returning Officer, the Principal Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, and the Chief Electoral Officer of the State Election Commission.

A single bench of the High Court, presided over by Justice B.P. Sharma, heard the petition and issued notices seeking responses from the three elected Rajya Sabha members and other respondents. Senior advocates Ajay Gupta and Aryan Gupta represented the petitioner.