Petition against MLA dismissed
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 03 2024: The High Court of Manipur has dismissed an election petition filed against Kakching AC MLA Mayanglambam Rameshwar Singh challenging his 2022 election to the State Assembly.

The petition was filed by Kshetrimayum Kennedy Singh, who contested the election on an INC ticket, seeking the Court to declare NPP candidate M Rameshwar's election as null and void.

In response, MLA M Rameshwar had filed a petition seeking dismissal of the election petition against him.

The Court of Justice A Guneshwar Sharma heard the case today and rejected the petition against MLA M Rameshwar.

The petition alleged that M Rameshwar had furnished wrong information regarding his highest educational qualification in affidavits filed for the 2017 and 2022 elections.

During the hearing, Ksh Kennedy's counsel stated that in the affidavit for the 2022 election, M Rameshwar mentioned his educational qualification as MA Pol Science from Delhi University in the year 2002.However, his 2017 election affidavit mentioned his education as MA Pol Science from Delhi University in 1992 .

This amounts to filing of false affidavit, and the same is a malpractice and his election should be declared null and void, said the petitioner's counsel in the M Rameshwar's counsel, on the other hand, submitted to the Court that the MLA furnished correct information regarding his educational qualification in the affidavit for 2022 election as MA Pol Science from Delhi University in the year 2002 .

While M Rameshwar had also furnished the same year of completing MA Pol Science as 2002 in para 10 of the 2017 election affidavit, due to typographical mistake, it was mentioned as "1992" in para 11 of the same affidavit, said the counsel.

Asserting that the petition against M Rameshwar lacks merit, the counsel argued that the 2017 affidavit can't be the ground for challenging the 2022 election of M Rameshwar.

The Court, on perusal of the materials on record, observed that M Rameshwar furnished the correct information of his highest educational qualification as "MA (Pol Sc) from Delhi University in the year 2002" .

The challenge in the present election petition is for some alleged wrong information furnished in Form-26 affidavit of 2017 election and not the present concerned election of 2022 .

Further, the mention of 1992 as the year of completing MA Pol Sc in the 2017 election may be a typographical error, the Court observed.

Even if assuming that Form-26 affidavit submitted in the election of 2017 of Assembly Election with respect to highest educational qualification is wrong, this Court is of the opinion that the same cannot be a ground and material document for challenging the election of the returned candidate in the 2022 Assembly Election, said the Court.

Rejecting the election petition, the Court ordered the petitioner to deposit Rs 50,000 to the account of High Court Bar Association, Manipur towards relief fund within a month.

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