In a recent ruling, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed an application by Congress MLA Arif Masood, seeking to reject a petition filed against his election in the 2023 state assembly polls. Justice Vivek Agrawal of a single bench, passed the order on August 14, upholding the validity of the challenge brought by BJP’s Dhruv Narayan Singh.
Singh, who was defeated by Masood in the Bhopal Central constituency, accused the Congress legislator of engaging in corrupt practices during the election campaign. Central to the petition is the allegation that Masood failed to accurately disclose financial liabilities, including a disputed loan which, according to Singh, rendered Masood’s election affidavit misleading.
The court noted that Masood is alleged to be a defaulter on a loan from a nationalized bank, with his accounts being declared non-performing assets. The bench pointed out that these serious allegations necessitate a thorough examination rather than dismissal at a preliminary stage.
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Masood had contended that Singh’s petition was procedurally flawed as it was submitted as a photocopy rather than being originally signed and lacked the requisite affidavit to support the accusations. However, the High Court found these arguments insufficient to override the need for a detailed inquiry into the substantive claims of electoral malpractice.
