Allahabad High Court Dismisses Maneka Gandhi’s Election Plea

The Allahabad High Court dismissed former Union minister Maneka Gandhi's plea challenging the election of Ram Bhual Nishad from Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat due to it being time-barred. The petition was filed after the 45-day statutory period. The court ruled that the delay in filing cannot be excused.

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed former Union minister Maneka Gandhi's plea challenging the election of Samajwadi Party's Ram Bhual Nishad from the Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat. The court stated that the petition is time-barred as it was filed beyond the statutory 45-day period for such cases.

The verdict was delivered by Justice Rajan Rai, who earlier reserved the order on the maintainability of the petition. Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Gandhi via video conferencing, argued that the plea should be decided on merit due to alleged discrepancies in Nishad's criminal affidavit.

The court, however, ruled that the delay couldn't be condoned, citing Section 81 and Section 86 of the Representation of People Act 1951 and Order VII Rule 11(d) of the Code of Civil Procedure, leading to the petition's dismissal.

(With inputs from agencies.)