Key facts
- The Supreme Court dismissed a plea by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan.
- Natarajan had challenged the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh.
- The court cited Article 329(b) of the Constitution, which bars judicial interference in election matters after the election process begins.
- The bench stated that recognizing exceptions for 'ex facie illegal' rejections would be inconsistent with the constitutional scheme.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh. A bench of justices PK Mishra and AS Chandurkar stated that election-related disputes are settled and an election petition is not maintainable after the commencement of the election process. The court referenced Article 329(b) of the Constitution, emphasizing that it has repeatedly declined interference in election processes to uphold the constitutional mandate. Natarajan's counsel argued for intervention in cases of ex facie illegal or arbitrary rejection of nominations, but the bench found no favor with this argument. The court observed that creating such distinctions would require classifying election disputes, which is not supported by the Constitution. Dismissing the plea, the bench concluded that any interpretation allowing courts to entertain such challenges would be inconsistent with the settled constitutional position and should not be encouraged.