HC rejects Somnath Bharti's plea, citing numerous errors

The Delhi High Court has dismissed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti's request to issue a notice on his petition challenging the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Bansuri Swaraj. The court found Bharti’s petition full of typographical errors and asked him to correct it within 10 days. Justice Manmeet PS Arora, who handled the case, decided not to issue any notice at this stage and adjourned the matter until August 13.

Bharti’s allegations

Bharti's petition claimed that Swaraj, who won the election by 78,370 votes, engaged in “corrupt practices” during the Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that BJP workers distributed money, sarees, and suits to voters to influence their choices. Bharti also accused Swaraj's booth agents of displaying her pamphlets, ballot number, and a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to voters, which they allegedly used to sway the voting process.

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Issues with the petition

Justice Arora noted that the petition contained numerous mistakes and did not correctly reference the involved parties. He emphasized that Bharti’s counsel must first fix these errors before any action can be taken. Bharti’s lawyer requested the issuance of a notice despite the errors, but the judge refused, stating that the petition needed to be corrected first.

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Additionally, Bharti’s plea alleged that Raaj Kumar Anand, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate who contested against Swaraj, was manipulated to benefit Swaraj. Anand, previously a minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government, was said to have resigned due to pressure from federal agencies. Bharti claimed that Anand’s resignation was orchestrated to help Swaraj win the election. 

The court's decision means Bharti has to revise his petition and re-submit it by the given deadline before any further legal proceedings can take place.