HC defers hearing on petition challenging Modi's election

The Allahabad High Court today deferred till August 19 its hearing on a petition challenging the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.
The petition has been filed by Ajay Rai, a Congress MLA from Pindra constituency, whom the party had fielded as its candidate from the Lok Sabha seat.
Justice V K Shukla adjourned the hearing on the petition till August 19 as the petitioner's counsel Umesh Narain Sharma was not present in the court to place his arguments in response to the contention of Modi's counsel Satya Pal Jain that the petition was "not maintainable".

Jain is a former BJP MP and Additional Solicitor General of India in Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh.
In the petition filed in June, 2014, shortly after Modi led his party to a resounding victory in the general elections, Rai has alleged that crores or rupees were spent by BJP in Varanasi during the election campaign despite the Election Commission having laid it down that expenditure by each candidate must not exceed Rs 70 lakh. Rai has also alleged that in his affidavit Modi had left vacant columns relating to PAN card and income details of his wife Yashodaben, which "violated" the Supreme Court's directions.

In the high-voltage electoral battle of Varanasi, Rai finished third and ended up forfeiting his deposit while Modi defeated his nearest rival Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party by a margin of3.71 lakh votes.