The Delhi High Court on Saturday dismissed a petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti, which sought to challenge the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Satish Upadhyay from the Malviya Nagar constituency in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
“The petition is dismissed,” said Justice Jasmeet Singh, who presided over the matter. A detailed judgment explaining the reasons for the dismissal is awaited.
In the February 2025 Assembly elections, Upadhyay had defeated Bharti by a margin of 39,564 votes. Bharti later approached the High Court alleging that Upadhyay’s election was vitiated by corrupt practices, in violation of provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
In his plea, Bharti also contended that there was a criminal case or FIR pending against the BJP candidate at the time of his nomination, which, he claimed, had not been disclosed properly.
The High Court’s decision marks the end of this phase of litigation, though the detailed reasoning behind the dismissal will become clear once the final judgment is released.
