HYDERABAD: Justice M Laxman of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday rejected an interim application (IA) filed by Excise and Tourism Minister V Srinivas Goud seeking quashing of a petition filed by a voter, Ch Raghavendra Raju, alleging that the former suppressed information in his election affidavit.
The petitioner challenged the election of Srinivas Goud as an MLA from the Mahbubnagar Assembly constituency on December 11, 2018.
Raghavendra Rao, in his plea, accused the minister of tampering with his affidavit in collusion with the returning officer. He claimed that the minister replaced the ‘defective’ affidavit submitted in Form No. 26, and concealed crucial details pertaining to the immovable property acquired by the minister’s spouse through a sale deed and a mortgage loan of Rs 12 lakh obtained from the Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank, Padmavati Colony branch, Mahbubnagar.
During the previous hearings, the court directed the petitioner to provide the documents substantiating the allegations. Complying with the court’s order, the petitioner obtained relevant documents through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and submitted them as evidence.
After thoroughly examining the documents, the court dismissed Srinivas Goud’s IA, which sought to refute the allegations and quash the election petition. The ruling indicates that the court will continue to hear the case, allowing the petitioner to further pursue their claims against the minister’s election.