Supreme Court Blow for Bhupesh Baghel: Apex Court Dismisses Plea
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In a significant legal and political setback for senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday dismissed his special leave petition challenging a High Court order that had refused to dismiss an election petition against his 2023 assembly victory at the preliminary stage. The apex court's ruling decisively clears the path for the full-fledged trial to continue regarding his election from the Patan legislative constituency. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana firmly rejected the maintainability arguments presented by Baghel's legal team, reiterating that adjudications concerning electoral integrity must be resolved within strict statutory timelines rather than bogged down by procedural hurdles.
Apex Bench Pulls Up Delay Tactics, Orders Expeditious Resolution of Poll Challenges
During the proceedings, the bench expressed sharp displeasure over intermittent legal petitions that effectively stall the core adjudication of election disputes. The court stressed that democratic disputes must be settled with utmost dispatch, cautioning that repeated interlocutory filings only drag out proceedings and frustrate the judicial process. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha, representing the former Chief Minister, contended that the Chhattisgarh High Court had erred in refusing to treat the 45-day statutory limitation period as a preliminary threshold issue to quash the petition outright. However, the bench observed that the question of limitation constitutes a mixed question of fact and law that can only be determined through trial and evidence, prompting the court to reject the appeal while refraining from imposing punitive costs solely upon the request of counsel.
The Patan Electoral Contest: Vijay Baghel's Challenge Over Mandatory 48-Hour Silence Period
The ongoing legal dispute dates back to the fiercely contested 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, where BJP candidate Vijay Baghel formally challenged the election of Bhupesh Baghel from their traditional bastion of Patan. The election petition seeks the nullification of Baghel's victory on grounds of corrupt electoral practices and statutory violations, specifically alleging that the former Chief Minister actively breached the mandatory 48-hour election silence period prior to voting day. With the Supreme Court upholding the High Court's directive, the evidentiary trial will now proceed before the single-judge election bench in Bilaspur, ensuring that witness cross-examinations and documented evidence regarding the contested campaign actions are formally placed on record.
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