The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Bombay High Court’s decision to strike off certain allegations made against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in petitions challenging his 2019 election from the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh dismissed the appeals filed by Congress candidate Nana Falgunrao Patole and voter Nafis Khan, who had challenged the High Court’s order dated February 26, 2021.
“The reasoning adopted by the High Court is correct. We see no reason to interfere with the High Court’s order,” the bench observed.
The Bombay High Court had earlier refused to dismiss the election petitions but struck down specific averments concerning the income and property of Gadkari’s family members.
Both petitioners approached the Supreme Court contending that the High Court had erred, arguing that the power to strike off pleadings is an extraordinary one that must be exercised sparingly and with utmost caution.
Khan alleged Gadkari had submitted false information in his nomination papers and election affidavit. Patole, meanwhile, claimed that procedural lapses occurred during the election process.
Noting that Gadkari had again won the Nagpur seat in the 2024 general elections, the Supreme Court endorsed the High Court’s reasoning and dismissed the petitions.
