NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to PWD Minister Parvesh Verma over a petition challenging his electoral win from the New Delhi constituency in the 2025 Assembly elections.
Former Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, along with Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and 22 other candidates, were also directed to respond to the plea. Justice Jasmeet Singh sought explanations from Verma, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the New Delhi candidates following a petition filed by Vishvanath Agarwal.
The petitioner claimed he was unjustly barred from submitting his nomination papers, thereby being deprived of a fair chance to contest the election. In the plea, petitioner Agarwal has sought a direction to declare the election to the New Delhi constituency null and void. The court has scheduled the next hearing for May 27.
In his petition, Agarwal said that when he arrived to submit his nomination for the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections from the New Delhi seat, he found the Returning Officer’s (RO) room locked from the inside and guarded by security personnel.
Agarwal stated that he was directed to wait in an overcrowded area before meeting the RO. He complied with the instruction while also keeping an eye on the RO’s room.
“Despite waiting as advised, at around 2:50 pm, an abrupt announcement was made stating that only those who entered the RO’s room by 3 pm would be considered for nomination. This triggered chaos, as multiple candidates rushed to gain entry,” the petitioner stated.
According to Agarwal, due to the overwhelming crowd, many candidates, along with some staff members, were unable to enter the RO’s room.
As they continued waiting for those already inside to leave, the 3 PM deadline passed. Agarwal further claimed that he remained on the premises until around 8 pm in an attempt to meet the RO, but his nomination was not accepted. He also accused the RO of “threatening” him and instructing him to vacate the premises.