In a significant legal development, Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan has approached the Supreme Court of India following the rejection of her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections. The elections for this esteemed parliamentary position are scheduled to take place on June 18.
The controversy arose when the returning officer and Madhya Pradesh Assembly Principal Secretary, Arvind Sharma, dismissed Natarajan’s nomination on June 9. This action was prompted by objections from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Rajya Sabha aspirant Mahesh Kewat and the party’s state general secretary, Rahul Kothari. The BJP asserted that Natarajan’s election affidavit was incomplete, alleging that she did not disclose a pending legal case in Hyderabad.
The objection stemmed from an incident where Natarajan had responded to a notice from a Hyderabad court in October 2025. However, it was claimed that she omitted this matter from Form 26, which is a crucial document in the nomination process. The returning officer, citing this omission, concluded that her affidavit was deficient, leading to the rejection of her candidacy.
In defense, Congress representatives argue that the rejection lacks legal grounding. They contend that since no court has taken cognizance of the private complaint filed against Natarajan, there is no criminal case requiring disclosure. They emphasize that a notice issued prior to cognizance does not equate to a pending criminal case, thus exempting Natarajan from mandatory disclosure.
Conversely, the BJP maintains that the Supreme Court’s guidelines necessitate the disclosure of any pending criminal cases in nomination affidavits. They argue that Natarajan’s failure to include this information constitutes a violation of these guidelines.
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With her nomination rejected, the Congress party faces a setback, as it effectively removes them from contention for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh in the forthcoming elections. Meenakshi Natarajan, a former Member of Parliament from Mandsaur, holds a prominent position as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Telangana.
