HC defers hearing on Lohaghat MLA election petition

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court’s single-judge bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit on Tuesday concluded hearing arguments in a plea challenging the victory of Lohaghat MLA Khushal Singh Adhikari in the 2022 Uttarakhand legislative assembly elections and directed the respondent to present his case on May 12.According to case records, Puran Singh Fartyal, the defeated candidate, filed the petition challenging Adhikari’s election from the Lohaghat assembly constituency. The plea stated that while Adhikari filed his nomination papers on Jan 24, 2022, his affidavit was submitted on Jan 28, though it was required to be filed simultaneously with the nomination.Counsel for the respondent argued that the petition suffers from several deficiencies, is not maintainable, and should be dismissed.In response, the petitioner’s counsel cited multiple Supreme Court judgments, contending that the respondent failed to properly disclose details in his nomination papers and affidavit, as required under election rules. They argued that his election is therefore liable to be set aside.The petition further alleged that Adhikari furnished false information in his affidavit, misrepresented details of his income and failed to disclose 25 ongoing govt contracts at the time of nomination. It also claims that he secured two additional govt contracts after winning the election.