Maharashtra leaders Nawab Malik, Anil Deshmukh go to Supreme Court to vote in legislative council polls today

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and incumbent minister Nawab Malik couldn't vote in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections after the Bombay high court had refused their plea.

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and incumbent minister Nawab Malik on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court order rejecting their pleas to vote in the ongoing Maharashtra legislative council elections. The counsels of both the leaders have sought urgent hearing. The top court is likely to hear the matter at 12 pm.

The Bombay high court had rejected their pleas to vote in the legislative council elections for ten seats in the state. Shiv Sena, the NCP's ally in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in its moutpiece ‘Saamna’ had claimed that jailed NCP MLAs Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh not being allowed to vote in the state Legislative Council polls was like "trampling" on the rights of the two elected representatives, PTI had reported.

Nawab Malik, who is minister in-charge of Aukaf, was arrested by ED on February 23, in connection with a money-laundering case registered against fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his close associates. (HT PHOTO)

The ruling allies - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - have fielded two candidates each, while the BJP has nominated five candidates.

Both the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders couldn't vote in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections after the Bombay high court had refused their plea. Both the leaders are currently in jail after being accused in separate money laundering cases.

Deshmukh along with his two aides Kundan Shinde and Sanjeev Palande are lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail after being arrested by the CBI in April this year. The case pertains to the allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. On March 20 last year, Singh in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had alleged that Deshmukh instructed police officers including suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Waze to collect ₹100 crore per month from dance bars and restaurants in Mumbai.