The Orissa High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict after completion of hearing on a plea seeking to close an election petition filed by Rajya Sabha BJD member Prasanna Acharya challenging the 2014 election of Bijepur Congress MlA Subal Sahu, who passed away in August this year.
Sahu’s family members, who have in the meantime severed their links with the Congress party and joined the BJD, had approached the High Court seeking closure of the election petition stating that the petition has become infructuous since the respondent has died in the meanwhile.
But the petitioner countered it in the High Court arguing that the Representation of People’s Act doesn’t have any such provision to close an election petition even if the respondent dies during the course of trial.
“The question before the High Court was to decide whether an election petition could be treated as in-fructuous in the event of unfortunate death of the respondent during the course of trial,” said senior advocate Pitambar Acharya, who is arguing the case on behalf of petitioner Acharya.
After hearing the arguments of both the parties, Justice SK Mishra reserved his verdict to be pronounced at a later date.
Much is at stake now over the outcome of this verdict as all the major political parties have begun groundwork and a lot of political churning has taken place hoping that the Election Commission of India may soon announce the dates for the by-election for the vacant Bijepur Assembly seat in the Bargarh district.