New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda seeking a stay on his conviction order in a coal block allocation case, so that he can contest elections.
"It would not be apposite to facilitate the appellant to contest elections for any public office, till he is finally acquitted," said a single-judge bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru while dismissing the petition filed by Madhu Koda.
The court, while hearing his plea seeking stay on the conviction order to contest for election to public offices, including contest elections for the Legislative Assembly, said that it is of the view that the appellant Koda has a prima facie case, however, the court is not persuaded to accept that his conviction is liable to be stayed on this ground alone.
"The appellant has been convicted of an offence after trial. One of the consequences of the conviction is that the appellant is not qualified to run for public office. While it is contended that this would lead to injustice and irreversible consequences, the court must also consider wider ramifications of the same," the court said.
"In recent times, there has been an increasing demand that steps be taken for decriminalization of politics. A large number of persons with criminal antecedents or those charged with heinous crimes stand for and are elected to Legislative Assemblies and the Parliament," it added.