Solar scam accused Saritha Nair moved the Kerala High Court challenging the Election Commission's decision in April to reject her nomination to contest from Wayanad and Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituencies. Nair, who also filed nomination from the Amethi constituency, claimed that the returning officer in Amethi had accepted her nomination after scrutinising the same set of papers she had submitted at Wayanad and Ernakulam. The returning officers at Wayanad and Ernakulam had rejected her nomination citing that the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court (JFCM), Perumbavoor convicted her in a case related to a solar scam for three years and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. She challenged the verdict in the high court. In another case, the Pathanamthitta JFCM had awarded her three years’ imprisonment and directed to pay a fine of Rs 45 lakh. Nair, in her petition, said her "nomination was rejected without considering the order of suspension of sentences even after producing the document as required by the Election Commission under the provision of law." The petition issued on June 20, 2019 was received by the Election Commission today. Nair had earlier told that she was contesting the election to ‘unmask' those who have criminal charges filed against them. “I’m not contesting to become an MP or sit in the Lok Sabha. I’m fighting the elections to mock and shame those who have criminal charges levelled against them. I have always been labelled as a cheater. But how are these leaders, who have committed crimes against women, which are far serious than financial crimes, allowed to contest elections?” she had said. Nair, who has also charged several high profile Congress leaders in Kerala with sexual harassment and rape, had announced that she would contest against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad. She also intended to fight from Ernakulam against Hibi Eden of the Congress, whom she had accused of molestation.
