Delhi High Court Upholds AIMIM's Registration

The Delhi High Court rejected a plea for deregistering the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, stating that the party's constitution aligns with legal provisions. The court found the allegations that AIMIM promotes a single religious community as unfounded, concluding there are no grounds for deregistration.

The Delhi High Court has upheld a previous decision to dismiss a plea for the deregistration of the AIMIM, a political party led by Asaduddin Owaisi, by the Election Commission of India (ECI). This ruling was made by a bench headed by former acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.

The appeal, filed by Tirupati Narasimha Murari, contested the AIMIM's registration on claims that its constitution focused on furthering the interests of a single religious community, Muslims, which the appellant argued was a violation of secular principles required by the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. The bench, however, noted changes to the AIMIM's constitution that brought it into conformity with legal necessities, nullifying the grounds for deregistration.

The single judge had previously concluded that deregistering AIMIM would interfere with the fundamental rights of its members to form a political party. The appellant's main argument did not find merit, as the aim and constitution of AIMIM were found to comply with Section 29A(5) of the RP Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)