During the hearing, Justice Sandeep Marne, who is overseeing the case, agreed to summon all the candidates. The bench raised the question of whether summoning all 18 defeated candidates was necessary. Despite this, all lawyers present supported the decision.
Bombay: The Bombay High Court summoned all candidates who participated in the recent Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai North-East constituency on Wednesday (18th Sept).
This follows an election petition by Shahahji N Thorat, a taxi driver who also ran in the same constituency and was defeated. The seat was won by Sanjay Dina Patil of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
During the hearing, Justice Sandeep Marne, who is overseeing the case, agreed to summon all the candidates. The bench raised the question of whether summoning all 18 defeated candidates was necessary. Despite this, all lawyers present supported the decision.
Government pleader Himanshu Takke and Patil’s lawyer, Prashant Kulkarni, were directed to respond to the petition.
The next hearing is set for October 23.
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Thorat’s petition disputes Patil’s victory, citing that Patil failed to include his mother’s name alongside his father’s, which Thorat claims is mandated by the Maharashtra government. Thorat argues that this omission should disqualify Patil from the election.
Patil secured victory in the election with a margin of approximately 29,800 votes over BJP candidate Mihir Kotecha. This win marks Patil’s second term as an MP, having previously defeated BJP’s Kirit Somaiya in 2009.
