The Delhi High Court on 28 February, issued notice to the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on a petition challenging his election in the Assembly Elections alleging that he had concealed facts in his poll affidavit.
The bench headed by Justice V Kameswar Rao was hearing a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravinder Singh Negi, who challenged the election of Sisodia from Patparganj Assembly constituency, seeking a direction to set aside Sisodia’s election, on the ground that he and his agents indulged in ‘corrupt practices’ during the course of the election process in terms of Section 123 of the Representation of People Act, 1951. Thus, the bench issued notice to Sisodia, Election Commission’s Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) and the returning officer to file a reply on the plea.
It was alleged by Negi that Sisodia “blatantly flouted” the law which materially affected the outcome of the Assembly Election by deliberately concealing information regarding the pendency of a criminal case against him under Prevention of Insult to National honor Act, 1971. He further alleged that even the information with respect to Sisodia’s residential address was false. The petition also claimed that the Returning Officer had helped Sisodia and has refused to cancel his nomination papers.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on 19 May.
Earlier, on 24 February, a Delhi Court rejected the clean chit given by the Delhi Police to Manish Sisodia, in a plea seeking FIR against him for his alleged misleading Tweet stating that he is depicting an ‘irresponsible and careless approach by spreading false information to incite violence and promote disharmony.’
While the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act turned violent on 15 December near Jamia Millia, Sisodia has reportedly tweeted “BJP is setting fire in Delhi due to the fear of defeat in elections. AAP is against any kind of violence.”
