Hearing an election petition challenging the election of Prayagraj’s BJP MLA Harshvardhan Bajpai, the Allahabad high court has directed to list the petition on May 5 2025 for framing of the issues. The court also directed the parties to submit draft issues (points for trial), which will be finalised by the court.
The election petition has been filed by Congress ex-MLA Anugrah Narayan Singh who had lost to Bajpai in the 2022 UP assembly election from Allahabad North seat. As per law, the framing of issues means beginning of trial. Now certain points will be made on which the trial will commence.
Holding that the plaint cannot be rejected, Justice Siddhartha Varma in his order dated April 22 said, “After striking off some paragraphs, the plaint now discloses specific cause of action, the petition cannot be thrown out as such and therefore, the plaint cannot be rejected under order VII rule 11 of Civil Procedure Code (CPC).”
The election petition filed by Singh through senior advocate Shailendra requested the court to declare election of Bajpai as MLA from city north as null and void.
However, appearing on behalf of Bajpai, additional advocate general and senior advocate Manisha Goyal filed objection and requested the court to strike off some paragraphs from election petition.
{{/usCountry}}However, appearing on behalf of Bajpai, additional advocate general and senior advocate Manisha Goyal filed objection and requested the court to strike off some paragraphs from election petition.
{{/usCountry}}The grounds taken for striking off various paragraphs were that they were frivolous, vexatious, unnecessary, irrelevant and scandalous and they were an abuse of the process of the court.