Somnath Bharti moves Delhi HC challenging election of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj
New Delhi, Jul 20: AAP leader Somnath Bharti on Saturday approached the Delhi High Court challenging BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj's election in the Lok Sabha polls 2024 on the grounds of alleged corrupt practices.
Justice Manmeet PS Arora is scheduled to hear the election petition on July 22.
The plea said while Bharti secured 3,74,815 votes, Swaraj got 4,53,185 votes as per the returning officer. They both contested from the New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency and Swaraj was declared as winner.
"The present election petition is being filed by the petitioner (Bharti) under Section 80 and 81 of the Representation of the People Act challenging the election of the respondent no.1 (Swaraj) as a Member of House of the people from the New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency on the grounds of 'corrupt practices' indulged into by the respondent no.1 , her election agent and other persons with the consent of the respondent during the course of the Lok Sabha election 2024 held on May 25, 2024," the plea said.
The plea alleged that former AAP minister Raaj Kumar Anand, who was though a candidate set up by the Bahujan Samaj Party but in reality he was set up by Swaraj's party to help her against the petitioner.
It said Anand was a minister in the Aam Aadmi Party's government in Delhi and was active in campaigning for Bharti till April 9 and suddenly he resigned from the party on April 10.
Anand contested the election on the ticket of Bahujan Samaj Party to help Swaraj by cutting into the vote share and later on July 10, he joined the BJP, the plea alleged.
"On the election day, that is, May 5, 2024, the petitioner, during his visits to different booths across New Delhi Parliamentary Constituency, was shocked to see that booth agents of the respondent no. 1 had her pamphlets displaying her ballot number, photo, election symbol and photo of PM Sri Narendra Modi and was showing the same to the voters who had lined up in the booth to vote and asking them to vote for Ballot no.1 and such an act certainly qualifies to be a corrupt practice. This was also reported to the respondent no. 3 (returning officer) but all in vain," the plea claimed.
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Child rape-murder: Hundreds protest on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune; traffic hit
Pune (PTI): Hundreds of people blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune to protest the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl, leading to traffic disruption on the busy route for about four hours.
The girl's family members and other demonstrators placed the body on the road in the Navale Bridge area on Saturday evening and demanded stringent punishment for the 65-year-old man arrested in the case.
Several videos surfaced showing a huge traffic jam on the highway.
Later, the victim's last rites were performed at the Vaikunt crematorium here shortly after midnight amid tight police security.
The accused man, who works as a labourer and has a criminal record, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday in the Bhor tehsil of Pune district. He then took her to a cattle enclosure where he allegedly sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to the police.
He was arrested based on CCTV footage from a private residence, which captured him with the child.
A case was registered against him under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he has been remanded in police custody till May 7.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday met the family of the victim, assuring them of strict action against the accused and a fast-track trial.
Describing the incident as "shocking" and a "blot on humanity", Pawar said the government stands firmly with the victim's family and will ensure justice.
She also spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a fast-track court trial so that the accused receives the harshest punishment.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde directed Pune rural police to gather concrete evidence to build a watertight case and conduct the trial in a fast-track court.
Efforts should be made to ensure the accused gets the death penalty, a statement quoted Shinde as saying.
