Relief for delhi mayor as HC upholds her election

The Delhi HC has dismissed the petition filed by an MCD councillor which challenged the election of Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi on the grounds that she held an office of profit on the day of her election.

The Delhi HC has dismissed the petition filed by an MCD councillor which challenged the election of Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi on the grounds that she held an office of profit on the day of her election.

HT Image

Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw upheld the election of Abbi, a Delhi University teacher, as Mayor, saying a university employee is not a government employee and so Abbi is deemed to be holding a post of profit under any government.

“Merely because the Delhi University in the present case was established by the government would not qualify the employees of the Delhi University as government employees. There is thus no merit in the petition and the same is dismissed,” said the court.

Sambhu Sharma, an MCD councillor, had sought Abbi’s disqualification as Mayor, contending she had applied for the post on April 13 without taking leave from the University where she is a professor in its law faculty.