The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party challenging the conduct and outcome of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, holding that it could not issue an omnibus direction to set aside the entire electoral process at the behest of a political party.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the party to approach the Patna High Court with its grievances, underscoring that the top court should not be the forum of first instance for such a challenge.
The bench observed that it could not grant relief to set aside the entire election result merely on the basis of a political party’s dissatisfaction with the outcome.
The Jan Suraaj Party had moved the Supreme Court after a disappointing performance in the November 2025 polls, contesting 238 seats but failing to open its account, with most of its candidates forfeiting their deposits.
In its petition, the party alleged that the Bihar government violated the Model Code of Conduct by transferring Rs 10,000 each to women beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana after the poll schedule was announced, contending that such transfers amounted to inducement and vitiated the fairness of the electoral process.
It sought directions to the Election Commission of India under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act to examine the matter as corrupt practice.