Odisha deputy CM’s IA in a case challenging his election from Patnagarh rejected

On August 8 last year, after a preliminary hearing the high court issued notice to Singh Deo to file a written statement.
Odisha High Court
Odisha High CourtFile photo
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CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has rejected BJP MLA and deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo’s interlocutory application (IA) seeking intervention against refusal of the collector of Balangir to provide him certain documents required to file a written statement in reply to the petition that has challenged his election from Patnagarh constituency.

Saroj Kumar Meher, the sitting BJD MLA, who lost to Singh Deo filed the election petition seeking declaration of the election of the deputy CM as void on the ground of improper acceptance of his nomination papers by the returning officer in spite of noncompliance with the statutory provisions.

Meher sought quashing of Singh Deo’s election for nonfurnishing the detailed and correct particulars of his movable and immovable assets, nondisclosure of criminal cases pending against him, nondisclosure of the correct amount of his bank accounts and false declaration of his income tax returns for the last five years.

On August 8 last year, after a preliminary hearing the high court issued notice to Singh Deo to file a written statement. In his IA, Singh Deo said he had through his lawyer applied for certain documents as per the Right to Information Act, 2000 for preparation of written statement by him.

But the public information officer (PIO), Balangir had not supplied the documents-certified copies. The information of the documents sought for cannot be provided as the election petition was pending before the high court in view of guidelines of ECI, the PIO had noted, but clarified that they can be supplied only after an high court order.

However, Justice Ananda Chandra Behera rejected the IA observing, when the collector Balangir is not a party to the petition, then the question of giving any direction for providing any document to the respondent does not arise.

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