Bombay High Court issues summons to BJP’s Narayan Rane after Sena UBT leader Vinayak Raut challenges Lok Sabha win

A single-judge bench of Justice Sarang V Kotwal issued a summons to Rane and other respondents including election authorities to appear before the Court on September 12 to answer Raut’s claims.

Raut, in a plea filed on Friday through advocate Asim Sarode, claimed Rane had won the Lok Sabha elections this year by “fraudulent means” and demanded that his election from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat be cancelled and he be banned from contesting elections and voting for five years.

Raut has also sought directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct a re-election for the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat. Pending the hearing of the plea, Raut has sought direction to restrain Rane from continuing as the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP.

Raut claimed that after campaigning, a video surfaced where Rane’s supporters were seen distributing money to voters by showing them an EVM and asking them to vote for Rane through “illegal and unfair” means. Raut sought further direction from the HC to constitute an independent committee to investigate the videos in question.

He said that as per the Representation of People Act, 1951, campaign activities are to be halted 48 hours before elections. However, the acts of Rane and his campaigners were in “clear violation of statutory provision,” he added. Raut claimed that the state Chief Electoral Officer did not pay heed to his complaint.

Raut further alleged that Narayan Rane’s son MLA Nitesh Rane held a public meeting on April 13 where voters were threatened that if the BJP candidate did not get a lead from a particular area, they would not get funds. “It was a direct threat to voters and disturbed the free and fair election process,” the plea claimed.

Earlier, on July 29, a bench of Justice Sandeep Marne had issued a summons to Ravindra Waikar of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Sena on an election petition by Sena (UBT) leader Amol Kirtikar, seeking the cancellation of Waikar’s victory in the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency.

On August 2, a single-judge bench of Justice Riyaz Chagla issued a summons to Thane MP Naresh Mhaske of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on a plea by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rajan Vichare seeking cancellation of Mhaske’s victory.