The Orissa High Court on Tuesday adjourned to November 10 the hearing of a petition filed by a BJP leader challenging the election of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
BJP leader Devananda Mohapatra, who had lost to Patnaik in the 2014 elections from the Hinjili Assembly constituency of Ganjam district, had approached the High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to annul the election of Patnaik for allegedly submitting false affidavits showing his election expenses.
Since a similar petition filed by social activist Subash Mohapatra, who subsequently moved the Supreme Court seeking a transfer of his case from the Orissa High Court had been disposed of by the apex court earlier this month, the High Court adjourned the hearing of the BJP leader’s petition to November 10 as the order of the Supreme Court has not yet been made available.
It is learnt that the Supreme Court had disposed of the petition of Subash Mohapatra with certain observations after the ECI reportedly assured the apex court that it (ECI) would look into the representation of the petitioner expeditiously.
“If the relief we are seeking has already been granted by the Supreme Court then there is no point in continuing the petition in the High Court,” said senior advocate Pitambar Acharya, who is arguing the case of the BJP leader.