The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a writ petition filed against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by a Supreme Court advocate, accusing him of concealing a criminal case against him in his election affidavits.
A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, rejected the PIL filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, saying there was “no merit” in it.
The Election Commission of India urged the court to levy “exemplary costs” against the petitioner, saying Mr. Sharma made unsubstantiated allegations against the poll body based on incorrect facts and without producing any cogent evidence. It said such unwarranted criticism “shakes the confidence of citizens of this country in the electoral process”.
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The case in which Mr. Kumar is named concerns murder. The trial court took cognisance of the charges in 2009. Mr. Kumar had subsequently, at the time of elections in 2012, revealed in his Form 26, which is filed at the time of election nomination, that the case was pending and the trial was stayed by the High Court.