Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan (centre) speaks as party leader Jitu Patwari, right, looks on during a party briefing at AICC office, in New Delhi, on June 12, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Supreme Court on Friday (June 12, 2026) dismissed a plea filed by Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan challenging the rejection of her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh.A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and A.S. Chandurkar observed that Article 329 of the Constitution bars judicial interference once the nomination of a candidate is rejected by the returning officer.The Bench held that the appropriate remedy lay before the Election Commission .“...if this petition is entertained, this court would be reading some principle which is not provided under Article 329 of the Constitution,” the Bench said.“If the court accepts arguments to find out glaring cases which are required to be interfered under Article 32/226, and the other sets of cases, where the rejection is not so improper prima facie to relegate them to election petitions, this court would be reading some principle which is not provided for under Article 329.“We are afraid, that any such interpretation that in some of the matters this Court can interfere while leaving some others to avail the remedy of election tribunal cannot be encouraged,” the bench said.The Court, however, clarified that its observations on the rejection of Ms. Natarajan’s nomination would not prejudice any election petition that may be instituted before the jurisdictional High Court.(With PTI inputs) Published - June 12, 2026 01:42 pm IST
