Himachal Pradesh High Court Issues Notice To Kangana Ranaut On Plea Challenging Her Lok Sabha Election From Mandi

A bench of Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua issued the notice to Ranaut, directing her to respond to the petition by August 21.

Laik Ram Negi has filed this election petition claiming that the Returning Officer allegedly wrongly rejected his nomination papers to contest from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency.

In his election plea, Negi, a former forest department employee, argues that the returning officer (Deputy Commissioner, Mandi) wrongfully rejected his nomination papers, which he submitted on May 14, 2024. He has also impleaded the RO as a respondent party in his election plea.

In his plea, Negi further argues that despite submitting a "no dues certificate" from his department and later providing certificates from the electricity, water, and telephone departments, the Returning Officer did not accept his papers.

It is his case that he was given time till May 15 to produce a 'no dues certificate'; however, when he submitted the required documents to the RO on May 15, the RO rejected his nomination papers on the grounds that the absence of the required certificates while filing his nomination papers on May 14 was a significant error that could not be rectified.

Ranaut won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, defeating her rival Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh by 74,755 votes. She had polled 5,37,002 votes against Singh's 4,62,267 votes.

Case title - Laik Ram Negi Vs. Kangna Ranaut & Anr

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