Supreme Court Rejects Uttarakhand Election Commission's Plea

The Supreme Court dismissed the Uttarakhand State Election Commission's plea against a stay on its clarification regarding candidate nominations. A fine of Rs 2 lakh was imposed on the petitioner. The clarification was considered contrary to the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, which prohibits multiple electoral roll registrations.

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled against the Uttarakhand State Election Commission, dismissing its plea against a stay on the commission's clarification regarding candidate nomination papers. This decision was accompanied by a Rs 2 lakh penalty imposed on the petitioner.

The court found that the commission's clarification, which stated that a candidate's nomination paper would not be rejected if their name appeared in multiple electoral rolls, was contrary to the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2016.

Citing the statutory provisions, the court highlighted that the law prohibits multiple registrations in electoral rolls. The original high court order to stay the commission's clarification was thereby upheld as it conflicted with subsections of the act.