Supreme Court (File Image)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to intervene in Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's challenge against the rejection of her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh, reiterating that courts cannot interfere in an ongoing electoral process.
A bench hearing the matter held that the constitutional bar under Article 329(b) prevents judicial intervention during elections and that any challenge must be pursued through an election petition after the conclusion of the poll process.
According to the Returning Officer's order, Natarajan's nomination was rejected on the grounds that she had submitted an incomplete Form 26 and failed to disclose a pending complaint case against her.
The order further noted that Natarajan had filed written submissions in the complaint case, indicating that she was aware of its pendency at the time of filing her nomination papers.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Natarajan, argued that the petition did not seek to halt the election process but aimed to ensure a fair and transparent election. He contended that the constitutional bar under Article 329(b) was therefore not applicable in the present case.
However, the Supreme Court rejected the argument and relied on the principles laid down in the landmark Ponnuswami judgment, which restricts judicial interference during ongoing elections.
Dismissing the plea, the court observed that it could not create exceptions allowing intervention in some election-related disputes while requiring others to wait until the electoral process is completed.
The bench clarified that Natarajan remains free to challenge the rejection of her nomination through an election petition before the appropriate High Court after the election process concludes.
The Supreme Court also noted that Natarajan had approached the Election Commission of India against the Returning Officer's decision and had personally presented her case before the full Commission on June 10.
