The Orissa High Court on Wednesday declared the election of Independent MLA Ramesh Rout from the Athagarh Assembly seat as null and void and ordered fresh poll in the constituency.
Pronouncing the judgment that was reserved since April 29, the single judge bench of Justice R. N. Biswal also directed the authorities to hold fresh elections in the assembly seat in view of the vacancy caused by the annulment of Rout’s election.
Justice Biswal also quashed the order of the returning officer who had rejected the nomination papers of senior BJD leader Ranendra Pratap Swain during the April 2009 elections.
Swain, a former minister, was elected from the seat since 1990. His nomination papers were rejected by the then returning officer Rajesh Prabhakar Patil on the ground that he had not submitted the original party ticket along with his nomination papers.
Challenging the rejection order, Swain along with his proposer Rabindranath Rout had moved the high court in two separate petitions. Urging the HC to declare the election of Rout as null and void, the petitions had also prayed the court to quash the order of the returning officer as it was arbitrary and illegal.
Soon after the HC order, Rout announced that he would challenge the verdict of the high court in the Supreme Court soon and continue to attend the ongoing session of the assembly.
The issue also figured in the state assembly as some members wanted to know about Rout’s membership status.
Speaker Pradip Amat said appropriate steps would be taken after copy of the high court order was received by the assembly.
