Supreme Court Blocks Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha Bid, Cites Election Bar, June 12

India’s Supreme Court on June 12 dismissed Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s writ petition challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh. The Returning Officer rejected her candidature on June 9 after she failed to disclose a pending criminal case in Telangana in her nomination affidavit. The court ruled it had no power to intervene and directed her to pursue an election petition instead.

Court Cites Constitutional Bar on Election Disputes

A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and A.S. Chandurkar ruled that Article 329(b) of the Constitution prevents courts from interfering in election matters. The judges noted that once a Returning Officer rejects a nomination, the only remedy is an election petition filed under the Representation of the People Act. The court said it had rejected similar attempts to invoke writ jurisdiction on every occasion, citing a 1952 precedent.

Natarajan Argued Disclosure Rules Were Misapplied

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued for Natarajan that Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act requires disclosure only of criminal cases in which charges have been framed by trial courts. He contended that the Telangana complaint against her was still at a preliminary stage and did not meet the disclosure threshold. The Returning Officer rejected her nomination on the ground that she had concealed material facts by not mentioning the case.

Court Rejects Exception for Glaring Errors

Natarajan’s legal team argued that the court could intervene to correct “glaring” or “manifest” errors in nomination rejections. The bench rejected this argument, stating that recognizing such an exception would read a principle into Article 329 that does not exist. The judges said creating a distinction between errors worthy of court intervention and those requiring election petitions would contradict constitutional law.

Three BJP Candidates Elected Unopposed

Meanwhile, BJP candidates Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Agrawal, and Mahesh Kewat were declared elected unopposed to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh on June 11. Natarajan’s nomination was the only Congress candidature for the state. The court clarified it expressed no opinion on the merits of her case and left all issues open for consideration in an election petition.

Final Thoughts

The Supreme Court’s ruling upholds a strict constitutional bar on judicial review of election procedures. Natarajan can now pursue an election petition through the Election Commission, but the court’s decision reinforces that immediate court intervention in nomination disputes is not available.

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