nAam Aadmi Party Lok Sabha candidate from South Delhi Raghav Chadha on Saturday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the decision of returning officer to accept BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri’s nomination papers.
The AAP candidate claimed in his plea that the returning officer (RO) overlooked “glaring discrepancies in Bidhuri’s nomination” and it was accepted without application of mind on the ground that they do not have any power to reject a nomination once an affidavit is filed, regardless of any concealment therein.
Bidhuri is also contesting from the South Delhi constituency. “The respondent no 2 (Bidhuri) had willfully and intentionally concealed the factum of registration of an FIR against him in Police Station... Muzaffarpur, Bihar, under sections 504, 506, 153 and 153(a) of the IPC,” Chadha said in the petition filed through advocate R Arunadhri Iyer.
The plea sought direction to call for the records and quash the returning officer’s April 24 order.
It also sought direction to the RO to scrutinise the nomination of Bidhuri in accordance with various directions of the Supreme Court. The RO’s decision is “arbitrary, illegal, unsustainable and ought to be quashed”, the AAP candidate said.
“The impugned order failed to appreciate that every citizen in India has an unimpeachable and indefeasible fundamental right to information about the candidate they are called upon to vote for, which ought to not be rendered nugatory by an abdication of duty at the time of scrutiny,” the plea added.
Have moved Delhi High Court today seeking disqualification of @rameshbidhuri as a candidate. He has concealed FIR pending against him. Concealment of a criminal case is serious offence & am sure his nomination will be rejected as soon as Court looks into the matter.
In another tweet, he said “Only a matter of 30 days I’d say till High Court cancels his candidature. Urge the people of South Delhi Lok Sabha to not waste their vote on a candidate who will be disqualified anyways. He has lied to the people, to EC, but will soon answer to the law,”
Terming the charges serious, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal tweeted “Charges against Ramesh Bidhuri are very serious. He is sure to be disqualified. South Delhi voters shud not waste their vote on him.”