Madhya Pradesh HC refuses to stay disqualification of Minister Mishra

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday refused to stay the Election Commission of India's disqualification of the state's Water Resources, Legislative Affairs and Public Relations Minister Narottam Mishra, and asked the latter to file a reply by July 5.

Friday's high court ruling came three days after Mishra had filed a petition before the high court seeking a stay on and quashing of the recent Election Commission (EC) order that disqualified him for three years.

The Election Commission of India had disqualified Mishra on June 23 for filing wrong poll expenditure accounts during the 2008 assembly polls.

The minister had filed the writ petition before the Gwalior bench of the high court.

Mishra has opined that the Election Commission of India's judgement was based on a case relating to his win in the 2008 assembly polls from the Datia seat, and clearly smacked of political rivalry and overtone.

Mishra has said that his political rival Rajendra Bharti had filed complaint with the election commission under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 on 4 April, 2009. Thereafter, the commission had served a notice on Mishra on January 15, 2013.

Mishra had moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court against the EC notice but had failed to get any relief.