The Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court today adjourned till July 10 the hearing of a petition filed by state minister Narottam Mishra, who has sought a stay on the Election Commission's order disqualifying him for three years.
Lawyers of Mishra as well as Congress leader Rajendra Bharti (on whose complaint the EC took action against Mishra) were not present today.
Mishra and Bharti then argued in person. Election Commission's director (law) Vijay Pandey was also present.
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Mishra, who has moved the court seeking quashing of EC's last month's order, requested Justice Vivek Agrawal to stay the order so he can cast his vote in the presidential election and also attend the state assembly session beginning July 17 as he is the state's legislative affairs minister.
Bharti, who had filed a caveat (a request that court hear him before passing any order in the matter) sought adjournment till July 13 as his lawyers were not present.
Giving interim relief to the minister at this stage will amount to giving him a permanent respite, Bharti argued.
The court posted the matter for further hearing on July 10.
Lawyers Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha, representing Bharti, and Mishra's lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Dhruv Mehta could not reach the court because of the ongoing strike of lawyers in Gwalior, court sources said.
The EC disqualified Mishra on June 23 for filing wrong accounts of election expenditure during the 2008 Assembly polls.
Bharti, who had lost to Mishra from Datia, had approached the EC over the issue.
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