SC order in Narendranagar poll row, Congress candidate to file election petition

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

Congress candidate Rajendra Singh Gusain’s counsel Abhijay Negi said that an election petition will soon be filed before the district court in Tehri Garhwal following the Supreme Court’s order in the Narendranagar municipal council election case.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Negi said that the Supreme Court observed that the petitioner has a statutory remedy available under the law and that the High Court should not have made observations on the merits of the case, while granting liberty to pursue such remedy. He added that the apex court clarified that the Uttarakhand High Court’s observations would not prejudice the petitioner’s case before the appropriate forum. Negi said that the petitioner is free to present all facts, evidence and legal arguments before the district court through an election petition.

Gusain claimed that he had resigned from his post as a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) before filing his nomination papers in the election for the post of Narendranagar municipal council chairman. His nomination for the election held earlier in June was rejected. However, Gusain maintained that the position did not carry any salary or regular honorarium and that members were only paid a sitting allowance for attending meetings. He also claimed that many members had not received even this allowance for several months.

Expressing confidence in the judiciary, Gusain said that all facts and evidence would be placed before the court and that he was hopeful of getting justice. He added that if the election is set aside by the court, the people of Narendranagar would get another opportunity to elect their representative through a democratic process.

Former MLA Om Gopal Rawat, Congress city president Suraj Singh Arya and other Congress leaders were also present on the occasion.