Devendra Fadnavis Gets Top Court Notice For Not Declaring Criminal Cases

Supreme Court today issued a notice to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on a petition seeking his disqualification as a legislator for his alleged non-disclosure of two criminal cases pending against him.

In his petition, lawyer Satish Ukey, alleged that Mr Fadnavis had cases of cheating and defamation pending against him which he did not disclose in his 2014 election affidavit.

Mr Fadanavis, a legislator from Nagpur South West constituency, is the second youngest Chief Minister of Maharashtra after Sharad Pawar.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph sought response of the Chief Minister on an appeal filed against a Bombay High Court order.

The Bombay High Court had earlier dismissed the petition seeking annulment of Mr Fadanavis's election to the Maharashtra Assembly on the ground of alleged "non-disclosure of all pending criminal cases against him" in the affidavit.

Appearing for the petitioner, Kapil Sibal argued said that Mr Fadnavis didn't "disclose details of the" pending cases and "as per law he had to disclose cases taken cognisance by a court." 

His office later said that the Chief Minister will file an appropriate response to the Supreme Court's notice."An appropriate response will be filed to the notice. Mr Fadnavis had filed all details about cases against him in theelection affidavit in 2014. The petitioner had moved the high
court which dismissed the case calling it baseless," the Chief Minister's Office CMO) said in a statement.
In September 2015, Mr Ukey filed a petition in the court of Judicial Magistrate in Nagpur challenging the election of Mr Fadnavis but it was dismissed. He then moved the Sessions Court, which directed the Magistrate to reconsider its decision. The Chief Minister went to the High Court challenging the Sessions Court order. Mr Ukey then challenged the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court.