Allowing a plea of Kandhmal BJD MP Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh, the Orissa High Court on Thursday rejected an election petition filed by BJP leader Rudra Madhav Ray in which Mr.Ray had challenged the election of Ms.Pratyusha as a Member of Indian Parliament.
Stating that Ms.Pratyusha is a Nepalese citizen, Mr.Ray in his petition had said that Article 102 (1) (d) of Indian Constitution clearly mentions that a person shall be disqualified for being chosen and for being, a member of either House of Parliament if he or she is not a citizen of India.
Ms.Pratyusha, however, in a miscellaneous petition had urged the High Court to reject the election petition of Mr.Ray at the threshold for lack of maintainability stating that she is an Indian citizen. She had also urged the Court to dismiss all the petitions that have been filed recently questioning her Indian origin.
Allowing the plea of the BJD MP, Justice K. R. Mohapatra rejected the petition of Mr.Ray on the ground that the petitioner had not pleaded all the material facts at proper forum. The petitioner has reportedly not raised the issue before the Central government, legal experts said.
The petitioner had not pleaded all the material facts at proper forum, says Justice K. R. Mohapatra
