Guwahati: On July 17, the Gauhati High Court made a significant ruling by declaring the election of an Arunachal Pradesh MLA in 2019 as null and void.
Karikho Kri, who was elected as an independent MLA from the Tezu Assembly constituency, became the second representative to be disqualified, following BJP’s Dasanglu Pul on April 25.
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The court’s verdict came in response to an election petition filed by Congress candidate Nuney Tayang, challenging the declaration of the 2019 Assembly election result.
Justice Nani Tagia, in that order, declared the election of Karikho Kri void, as he had not submitted his nomination paper in accordance with Section 33 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
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Consequently, Kri’s nomination paper was liable to be rejected under Section 36 (2)(b) of the same Act.
In another case, the election of Dasanglu Pul, representing the Hayuliang Assembly seat, was challenged by Congress candidate Lupalam Kri, who lost to Pul in the 2019 election.
The bench of Justice Nani Tagia heard the petition and observed that Dasanglu Pul had also failed to present her nomination paper in accordance with Section 33 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Consequently, her nomination paper was liable to be rejected under Section 36 (2)(a) of the said Act.
Dasanglu Pul, the third wife of former chief minister Kalikho Pul, had been re-elected to the seat in 2019, after initially winning it in a by-election in 2016 following her husband’s demise.