HC slaps fine on BJD MLA for failing to respond to notice

The Orissa High Court today slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on BJD MLA Tukuni Sahu for failing to respond on time to a notice of the court arising out of an election petition.
A single-judge bench of Justice Biswanath Rath imposed the fine on the ruling party legislator when she failed to file her counter affidavits in response to a petition filed by former MLA and Congress leader Surendra Singh Bhoi.
Bhoi has challenged the election of Sahu stating that the process of election and counting of votes in Titlagarh Assembly segment in April this year were not taken up properly.

Polling 57,836 votes, the Congress leader and former MLA had lost to the BJD candidate by a margin of 14,022 votes in a 12-cornered contest.
Bhoi had challenged the election of Sahu in a petition in July this year and the legislator was initially asked to file her counters by August 26. Subsequently, two extensions were granted to the MLA to file counters.
The High Court fixed the date for next hearing on November 14 and asked the respondent to file her counter affidavits before that day.