Paid News case: Delhi HC reserves order on MP minister's plea against EC

The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on Madhya Pradesh parliamentary affairs minister Narottam Mishra's petition challenging Election Commission's (EC) decision of barring him from contesting elections.

The Delhi High Court has previously disposed the application moved by the BJP leader seeking an early hearing in the matter.

The Election Commission of India disqualified Mishra for three years to contest elections after finding him guilty of paid news.

The decision was taken based on a complaint lodged by former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti in April 2009, alleging that Mishra hadn't filed certain details in his election expenditure during the 2008 Assembly elections.

Bharti submitted that the committee examining the complaint had found 42 out of the 48 alleged paid news articles were verified as paid news.

In July, the court also dismissed Mishra's plea to vote in the presidential polls scheduled for July 17. The EC has the power to disqualify a candidate if he fails to submit a clear and concise account of expenses within the designated time frame.

Mishra challenged the notice in the high court bench at Gwalior and managed to get a stay, in the light of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's case proceeding in the top court. The court, however, vacated the stay order after considering the facts submitted by the complainant's counsel.