4 min readNew DelhiJun 11, 2026 12:49 PM IST
First published on: Jun 11, 2026 at 12:49 PM IST
The Supreme Court will hear Congress leader Meenakshi Nataranjan’s plea challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh Friday.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the plea before a bench of Justices P K Mishra and A S Chandurkar, which said that it will be listed on Friday, subject to curing of defects, if any.
Seeking an urgent hearing, Sighvi told the bench that Thursday is the last date of withdrawal and the plea may not brook delay till Friday.
He said Section 33A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, says that “in disclosure of the form for a contestant… You must indicate a case which has imprisonment of more than 2 years, plus charges have been framed. The section says so”.
Natarajan’s candidature was rejected during scrutiny of nominations by the Returning Officer (RO) on June 9.
BJP state general secretary Rahul Kothari had filed an objection to Natarajan’s candidature with the RO, alleging that she had failed to fully disclose details of a case against her in the affidavit submitted with her nomination papers. Kothari was referring to a private complaint pending before a court in Hyderabad against various individuals.
‘Only a summons’
Pointing out that the matter pertains to the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh, Singhvi said Natarajan did not disclose the case “because there is only a summons, not even cognisance.” He stressed that the stage of framing of charges comes only after cognisance, investigation and filing of a chargesheet, but the “returning officer in a short order disqualifies her”.
Singhvi said, “Today is the last date of withdrawal. I have no problem arguing it tomorrow. They are technically entitled to declare the results after 4 o’clock today, as it is unopposed… Therefore, if it is coming tomorrow, let them not declare the results. Your Lordships will hear it.”
Justice Mishra, however, sought to know how the petition was maintainable since the election process had been set in motion. To which, Singhvi said courts can interfere if there is a glaring error, failing which the petitioner will have to wait for many years for a remedy.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the three BJP Rajya Sabha candidates from Madhya Pradesh, said they were not made parties in the petition and were opposing the mention.
Senior Advocate D S Naidu, who represented the Election Commission, also questioned the maintainability and said the remedy lies elsewhere.
The court finally agreed to list the plea for a hearing on Friday.
The objection to Natarajan’s nomination stems from a criminal case registered in Telangana in 2022. The case arose from a complaint filed by a former associate of a senior Congress politician, alleging that she had been subjected to a pattern of abuse, coercion, intimidation, and exploitation during the course of a personal relationship spanning several months. This case is currently at the charging consideration stage.
Although Natarajan has not been named in this case, her name figures in a subsequent private complaint filed by the woman before the Hyderabad court in August 2025. Unlike the criminal cases that form the backdrop of the dispute, the private complaint is directed not only at the principal accused but also at a range of Congress office-bearers, legislators and functionaries whom the complainant accuses of shielding influential figures despite repeated complaints and ongoing legal proceedings.
The Congress has contended that it is not a criminal case.
Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha candidature was rejected during scrutiny of nominations by the Returning Officer on June 9. (File Photo)
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