CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday issued notice to BJP MLA Pradeep Bal Samant on a petition challenging his election from Sukinda Assembly constituency.
Samant had won from the seat defeating Pritiranjan Ghadei of BJD by a margin of 9,577 votes. Ghadei, the former MLA, filed the petition seeking declaration of Samant’s election as void and order for re-election or fresh poll on the ground that he had suppressed information regarding his criminal antecedents while filing his nomination papers on May 3.
Though Samant had mentioned in his nomination papers filed in 2019 that two criminal cases were pending against him, he had left the column related to pending criminal cases blank in 2024, the petition said.
Taking note of it, the single judge bench of Justice Sasikanta Mishra admitted the petition and issued summons to Samant for “for filing of written statement and settlement of issues”. Justice Mishra fixed September 17 for further hearing on the matter.
Also taking up another petition challenging the election of BJD MLA Aswini Kumar Patra from Jaleswar, Justice Mishra adjourned it to next week for further hearing on the question of admission. Braja Mohan Pradhan of BJP, who lost by a margin of 319 votes, filed the petition questioning the validity of Patra nominating a person holding office of profit (panchayat samiti chairman) as his election agent. As it violated the poll rules, election of Patra is liable to be cancelled, Pradhan contended in his petition.
Senior advocate Upendra Samal represented both the petitioners.