SC dismisses Natarajan plea on rejection of RS nomination

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the writ petition filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha candidature from Madhya Pradesh, while allowing her to challenge the decision through an election petition under the Representation of the People Act.

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A bench comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice AS Chandurkar declined to exercise its writ jurisdiction, citing the constitutional bar under Article 329. The petition was dismissed as non-maintainable. The Court clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case, Live Law and Bar & Bench report.

Natarajan's nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer and Madhya Pradesh Assembly principal secretary Arvind Sharma on June 9. The rejection followed objections raised by BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha candidate Mahesh Kewat and state general secretary Rahul Kothari, who alleged that Natarajan had failed to disclose a pending private complaint against her in a Hyderabad court in her Form 26 affidavit.