Supreme Court Halts Election Proceedings Against Chhattisgarh MLA

The Supreme Court stayed proceedings against Congress MLA Devendra Yadav's election to the Chhattisgarh Assembly. BJP's Prem Prakash Pandey claims Yadav provided false information during his nomination, affecting election results. The bench issued a notice to Pandey after Chhattisgarh High Court previously dismissed Yadav's plea questioning Pandey's election petition.

The Supreme Court has intervened in the electoral dispute involving Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, pausing proceedings against his election to the Chhattisgarh legislative assembly. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh has issued a notice to BJP leader Prem Prakash Pandey. Pandey, who contested Yadav's election from the Bhilai Nagar constituency, claims that Yadav provided incorrect information in his nomination filings, allegedly breaching the Representation of People Act.

Senior advocates Vivek Tankha and Sumeer Sodhi, representing Yadav, argued that the Chhattisgarh High Court erred in rejecting an application under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code. This application questioned the validity of Pandey's election petition. Pandey further argued that Yadav's nomination papers were wrongly accepted due to false declarations, which he describes as a corrupt practice.

The electoral challenge stems from Yadav allegedly concealing pertinent facts that voters have a right to know. The Supreme Court's 2002 ruling had emphasized the importance of candidates disclosing their antecedents, including any criminal history. With the Supreme Court's notice, the dispute remains unresolved following the Chhattisgarh High Court's decision in July 2024 to dismiss Yadav's appeal regarding Pandey's petition.