SC Denies Relief To Meenakshi Natarajan In Rajya Sabha Nomination Row: 'Can't Make Exception'

SC declines to entertain Meenakshi Natarajan's plea over rejected Rajya Sabha nomination, directing election disputes to proper forums.

The Supreme Court questioned its ability to intervene after the election process began.

Source : ANI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Supreme Court declined relief to Meenakshi Natarajan in nomination case.
• Her Rajya Sabha nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer.
• Court stated election disputes must follow proper legal channels.
• Natarajan argued charges were never framed, making rejection flawed.

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to grant relief to Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan in her challenge against the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination papers, emphasizing that election-related disputes must be addressed through the mechanisms provided under election law rather than through direct petitions before the apex court.

The ruling came during the hearing of Natarajan’s plea challenging the decision of the Returning Officer (RO), who had rejected her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh.

Court Questions Direct Challenge To Returning Officer's Decision

During the proceedings, the Supreme Court examined whether it could intervene after the nomination process had already advanced.

The bench asked Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Natarajan, to point to any precedent where the Supreme Court had overturned a Returning Officer’s decision and restored a nomination after the election process had commenced.

The Supreme Court commences hearing of Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan’s plea challenging the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination papers by (Returning Order). The RO rejected her nomination papers on the ground that Natarajan had allegedly failed to disclose a pending… pic.twitter.com/fJGB8XhC2O

— ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2026

Congress Argues Charges Were Never Framed

Appearing for the Congress leader, Singhvi contended that the basis for rejection was legally flawed.

He submitted that although a criminal case was pending, charges had not been framed against Natarajan. According to him, framing of charges is a crucial requirement under the Representation of the People Act before such a ground can be used to reject a candidate's nomination.

The Congress leader argued that the Returning Officer had incorrectly applied the law while scrutinizing her nomination papers.