Delhi HC reserves order disqualification plea of Minister Narottam Mishra

The Delhi High Court today reserved its order in Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra’s plea challenging his disqualification by the Election Commission over paid news charges..The Election Commission had disqualified Mishra for three years over paid news charges, holding him guilty of filing wrong accounts of poll expenditure relating to articles and advertorials in the media during the 2008 assembly polls, according to media reports..A Special Bench of Justice Indermeet Kaur was constituted today after the Supreme Court transferred the matter to the High Court yesterday..Mishra’s counsel contended that there has been great delay on the part of the Election Commission and that they should have done the investigation expeditiously and taken the decision (of disqualification) much earlier. He further submitted that the news articles and advertorials during the 2008 assembly elections were not circulated at his behest..Appearing on behalf of the complainant (Rajendra Bharti of the Congress), Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal agreed that the Election Commission should have carried out the investigation expeditiously, but there is no period of limitation. He further submitted that even if a few years have passed, it does not mean that a corrupt practice can be condoned..“This argument of delay is a non-starter.”.Regarding the locus standi of the Congress, Sibal stated that he is like an informant in an FIR..“It was the duty of the Election Commission to investigate.”.Sibal further argued that an expert committee constituted by the Election Commission came to the conclusion that the allegations of paid news are in fact true..“Paid news is a determination of fact.”.The order is likely to be pronounced before the Presidential elections scheduled for July 17, as the plea has been filed keeping in view that every single vote of the elected representatives would be of paramount importance..Image taken from here.