Asks State Election Commission to take action against returning officer for violating rules
Bhopal: The Jabalpur High Court in Madhya Pradesh has set aside the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Rahul Singh Lodhi, official sources said on Thursday.
The court further said that all the benefits that Lodhi used to get would be immediately stopped, the court further said.
Lodhi, nephew of former chief minister of MP, Uma Bharti, was elected from Khargapur constituency in Tikamgarh district of the state.
The high court also sent a copy of the order to the State Election Commission and directed it to take strong action against the returning officer for favouring the legislator.
The bench of Justice Nandita Dubey passed the order on a petition filed by Congress candidate from Khargapur constituency Chanda Singh Gour. The returning officer accepted the nomination form of Lodhi in violation of the People’s Representation Act.
Gour also accused Lodhi of hiding information that he was a partner in a firm that was working on contract for the state government and of not paying a fine of Rs 10,000 imposed on him by the HC.
In the petition, Gour said that the money was to be given to her. Gour said that Lodhi filed two nominations with contradictory information, and that, in the nomination form Lodhi did not disclose his association with the firm.
The court also pulled up the returning officer Vandana Rajput for going beyond her jurisdiction in accepting Lodhi’s nomination form.