SC Refuses to Intervene in Meenakshi Natarajan Nomination Rejection Row

New Delhi (IANS): In a major setback to Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan, the Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the Returning Officer’s decision rejecting her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh over her alleged non-disclosure of a criminal case in Telangana.

The court observed that once a Returning Officer rejects a nomination paper, the aggrieved candidate must approach the Election Commission as their statutory remedy. The court, therefore, refused to grant relief and left it open for Natarajan to approach the poll panel.

Appearing for Natarajan, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the law did not support the rejection of the nomination, as the alleged case against her did not meet the disclosure requirements that the election law prescribes.

Singhvi contended that the Representation of the People Act and Form 26 of the nomination affidavit require disclosure only in cases where a competent court has framed charges or taken cognisance of an offence. In the present matter, he submitted, the case satisfied neither condition.

Referring to the Telangana case that formed the basis for the rejection, Singhvi told the court that the matter involved merely a private complaint in which no court had taken cognisance. He further argued that the incident in the complaint allegedly took place nearly three years before the Congress party appointed Natarajan as its Telangana in-charge, which makes any attempt to link her to the matter legally untenable.

However, the Supreme Court held that the challenge essentially targeted the Returning Officer’s decision and that the election law framework required the petitioner to approach the Election Commission.

“The petitioner is free to approach the Election Commission again,” the court observed while disposing of the plea.

The development comes amid a politically charged contest for the Rajya Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, where the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination triggered a sharp confrontation between the Congress and the BJP. The opposition party alleged procedural irregularities and misuse of electoral processes.

The authorities declared the three BJP candidates elected unopposed after the deadline for withdrawal of candidatures ended on Thursday.