Allahabad HC issues notice to all 10 newly-elected Rajya Sabha members on disqualified candidate's plea

The Allahabad High Court on Friday issued notice to all ten newly-elected Rajya Sabha MPs on a petition moved by businessman Prakash Bajaj claiming that the returning officer had wrongly rejected his nomination.

The Lucknow bench of the high court fixed January 27 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

A bench of Justice Jaspreet Singh passed the order on the election petition moved by Bajaj who contended that the returning officer had wrongly rejected his nomination citing fault in the affidavit and form and all ten candidates were declared elected unopposed on November 2.

"Since the nomination was arbitrarily rejected, the elections should be conducted afresh,” the petitioner demanded.

The plea also said that same mistakes were there in the affidavits and forms of the others but by "applying double standards", the returning officer allegedly illegally and arbitrarily rejected only his papers.

After hearing the plea, the court issued notices to all the ten newly elected MPs seeking their response.