JAIPUR: Rajasthan High Court Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by an Alwar resident challenging the rejection of his nomination for election as a member of panchayat samiti, Laxmangarh.A single bench of Justice Ravi Chirania held that Article 243-O of the Constitution and Section 117 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act bar judicial interference in elections after the election notification and commencement of the process, making an election petition the only available remedy.Anil (39) of Shadka village in Laxmangarh tehsil, Alwar district, stated in court that he had disclosed in his nomination form that an FIR had been registered against him at Laxmangarh Police Station for offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, and that cognisance was taken by the ACJM Court, Laxmangarh, on Nov 18, 2021.His counsel argued that while the disclosure was correct, the court name and the date Nov 18, 2021, were inadvertently mentioned in the column related to whether charges had been framed. He claimed that after the nomination was rejected, he produced documents before the Returning Officer to show that charges had not been framed and sought reconsideration and restoration of his candidature if permissible under law.According to the petition, Anil filed his nomination on Oct 15, 2026, and it was rejected during scrutiny on Oct 17.Additional Advocate General Kapil Prakash Mathur opposed the plea, contending that courts cannot intervene once the election process has begun. The state also argued that Anil himself entered the court name and date in the charges-framed column and could not later correct it by filing additional documents, adding that even an improper rejection could only be challenged through an election petition once the results are declared.
