Delhi HC seeks Manish Sisodia's response on plea accusing him of violating campaign rules

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others to file a response on a plea that accused Sisodia of violating poll campaign rules during the recent Delhi Assembly Elections. 

During the hearing, Justice VK Rao asked Delhi's Deputy CM Sisodia, the Election Commission's Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), and the returning officer to file a reply. The matter was listed for rehearing on May 19. 

A similar petition has been filed by Pratap Chandra against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly violating poll campaign norms in the recent assembly elections. Pratap Chandra had contested election as a candidate of Rashtriya Rashtrawadi Party against Sisodia from Patparganj assembly seat and faced defeat.  

On the issue of the plea against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Justice Mukta Gupta deferred the hearing to March and asked the petitioner to correct a few typographical errors in the petition. 

READ | Pleas in HC challenging election of CM Arvind Kejriwal, deputy Manish Sisodia

Chandra's arguments 

In his pleas, Chandra has contended that as per Section 126 of the Representation of People's Act, 1951 no one is permitted to get undue advantage by way of any kind of election matter advertisement for making appeals to the voters to cast their votes in their favour before the 48 hours of the conclusion of the polling day.

" ...but the high-handed candidates of the political parties were putting their election matter advertisement in various hoarding, papers, bus shelter, and public utility display board, in which they have made appeals in favour of party as well as a symbol, even on February 8. Such advertisement, at the last stage of the election, vitiated the entire election process," he has claimed.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party had swept the Delhi Assembly elections which were held on February 8 with a whopping majority of 62 seats out of the 70-seat Assembly. The remaining eight seats were bagged by BJP, while the Congress secured none.

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(With inputs from ANI/PTI)