Allahabad HC issues notice to PM

The Allahabad High Court has issued a notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a petition was filed accusing him of electoral malpractices in the Lok Sabha election.

In the petition filed before the bench of Justice V.K. Shukla, Congress candidate Ajay Rai, who lost the Lok Sabha polls against Modi in Varanasi, has alleged that Modi as a candidate had over-spent during the election campaign.

The court Friday fixed the next hearing of the case for Sep 5.

Rai alleged that the amount exceeded the Rs.70 lakh ceiling on polls expenses mandated by the Election Commission.

He has requested the high court to nullify Modi's election from Varanasi on these grounds and also for leaving blank columns about his wife's income and taxation details.

He has also accused the prime minister of violation of model code of conduct by distributing poll memorabilia - clothes, T-shirts, and sarees to people in Varanasi with an intention to influence them.

Rai lost to Modi by a huge margin in the Lok Sabha election. He stood third, getting lesser votes compared to Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who lost by over 3.71 lakh votes to Modi.