On Wednesday(24th July), The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over a petition challenging her election victory. The petition, filed by Layak Ram Negi, claims her win should be overturned due to the wrongful rejection of Negi’s nomination papers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
SHIMLA: On Wednesday(24th July), The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to Kangana Ranaut, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Mandi, regarding a petition filed by Layak Ram Negi, a resident of Kinnaur. The petition seeks to set aside Ranaut’s election victory on the grounds that Negi’s nomination papers were allegedly wrongly rejected.
Justice Jyotsna Rewal, while issuing the notice, directed Kangana Ranaut to file her reply by August 21. The petitioner, Layak Ram Negi, an ex-employee of the forest department, contends that the rejection of his nomination papers was unjust and has resulted in Ranaut’s unchallenged win in the Mandi Lok Sabha seat.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Kangana Ranaut secured a victory over her rival, Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, with a margin of 74,755 votes. Ranaut garnered a total of 5,37,002 votes, while Singh received 4,62,267 votes. Negi argues that this outcome might have been different had his nomination not been rejected.
ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut vs Javed Akhtar: Bombay High Court’s Defamation Case Verdict
Allegations of Wrongful Rejection
Negi’s primary contention is that his nomination papers were wrongfully rejected by the returning officer, who is also the Deputy Commissioner of Mandi. Negi explains that he had taken premature retirement from his position in the forest department and had provided a “no dues certificate” from his department along with his nomination papers.
Despite this, the returning officer allegedly demanded additional “no dues certificates” from the electricity, water, and telephone departments within a day. Negi complied and submitted the requested certificates, but the returning officer did not accept them, leading to the rejection of his nomination.
Negi states-
“I was given only one day to provide the ‘no dues certificate’ from the electricity, water, and telephone departments. Despite submitting these documents, the returning officer did not accept them and subsequently rejected my nomination papers.”
Negi believes that the rejection of his nomination papers was unjust and that he had a legitimate chance of winning the election. He has pleaded with the court to set aside Ranaut’s election victory, arguing that his exclusion from the electoral process was unlawful.
He expressed his frustration, stating-
“He argued that he could have won the election if his papers had been accepted and requested that the election be annulled.”
Justice Jyotsna Rewal’s directive to Kangana Ranaut to respond by August 21 is a critical step in addressing the grievances raised by Negi. The court’s notice signifies that Negi’s petition has been taken seriously and that there will be further examination of the circumstances surrounding the rejection of his nomination papers.
