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SC Upholds AIMIM MLA's Election in Maharashtra Polls, Dismisses Challenge
- •The Supreme Court dismissed pleas challenging the election of AIMIM's Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique as MLA from Malegaon central constituency in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls.
- •The decision upholds a June 8 judgment by the Bombay High Court, which had rejected an election petition against Khalique.
- •Khalique won the Malegaon central constituency by a margin of 162 votes in the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.
- •The election petition alleged "corrupt practices," claiming Khalique, a religious leader, influenced voters with "threat of divine displeasure or spiritual censure" and appealed to religious sentiments.
- •The high court had previously ruled that the election petition failed to establish a complete cause of action, leading to its dismissal.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions because a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta upheld the Bombay High Court's June 8 judgment. The high court had previously ruled that the election petition failed to establish a complete cause of action to merit a trial.
The election petition alleged that Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique, a religious leader, influenced voters with threats of divine displeasure and spiritual censure. It also claimed that pamphlets were distributed arguing that voters choosing a woman leader would never prosper, and that votes were improperly solicited based on religion.
Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique was declared the winner from the Malegaon central constituency during the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections by a slim margin of 162 votes.
