SC fixes plea challenging Maha CM's election for final disposal on Jul 23

The Supreme Court Wednesday fixed for final disposal a plea challenging the election of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to the state assembly for alleged non-disclosure of pending criminal cases against him in the nomination papers.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said that it will list the plea for final disposal on July 23.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by one Satish Ukey seeking annulment of Fadnavis's election to the Maharashtra Assembly on the ground of alleged non-disclosure of all pending criminal cases against him.

Earlier, the apex court had issued a notice to the chief minister on an appeal by Ukey against a Bombay High Court order which had dismissed his plea challenging the election of Fadnavis.

The petitioner had alleged that Fadnavis, in his election affidavit filed in 2014, had failed to disclose the pendency of two criminal cases against him.

It was contended that the chief minister did not disclose the information as required of him under the election law and the non-disclosure of these two pending criminal cases was in violation of Section 125A of the Representation of People's Act of 1951 and constituted an offence in itself.

The two cases of alleged cheating and forgery were filed against Fadnavis in 1996 and 1998 but charges were not framed.