Big Blow: High Court upholds Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra's disqualification

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: 

In a big blow to ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the Delhi High Court has quashed MP minister Narottam Mishra's plea challenging the BJP leader's disqualification.

Mishra had pleaded that he should be allowed to vote in the Presidential poll.

But Justice Indermeet Kaur rejected his plea. The decision has far-reaching implications for Mishra, the powerful minister who holds portfolios of Parliamentar affairs, Water reources and Public Relations. 

Mishra was disqualified by the Election Commission of India over charges of paid news. The complainant Rajendra Bharti had taken him to the court. It was about Mishra's election in the  year 2008.

All the while, he has said that he won another election after 2008. But now, the court order not only disqualifies him but also bars him from contesting the next Assembly poll. His membership of the Assembly is all set to go.

Mishra, who hails from Datia, is known for his political clout. Earlier, the poll panel order had said that 42 news items that had appeared in five Hindi dailies were extremely biased in favour of Mishra. It had said that its findings had also strengthened the conclusion that he had knowingly participated or took advantage of the expenditure on such advertisements that had appeared as news in the publication.