SC rejects appeal against election of Jharkhand MP

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde rejected the challenge to the election of Congress leader Dhiraj Prasad Sahu as a Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand in 2018.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the challenge to the election of Congress leader Dhiraj Prasad Sahu as a Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand in 2018.

The apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the BJP candidate, who had lost the poll from the state, challenging the verdict of the Jharkhand High Court which had rejected the plea against Sahu's election.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said the vote cast by then MLA Amit Kumar Mahto, who was convicted by a trial court on the date of voting for Rajya Sabha poll on March 23, 2018, was valid.

The top court said Mahto had cast the vote before the trial court's verdict.

The high court had delivered its judgement on January 17 this year and dismissed the election petition filed by Pradeep Kumar Sonthalia, who was a BJP candidate in the 2018 Rajya Sabha poll from Jharkhand, challenging Sahu's election as a member of the upper house.

PTI