HC issues notice to Centre on Presidential election

New Delhi, Aug 3 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre on a revision petition filed by an advocate challenging the metropolitan magistrate's order of disposing the complaint against UPA president Sonia Gandhi for holding a dinner at Ashoka Hotel prior to the Presidential election.

Earlier, the petitioner had filed a complaint in which he wanted action against Ms Gandhi for influencing the voters by organising the dinner.

Justice Ravinder Bhatt issued notices to the Government through counsel Mukta Gupta and allowed the arguments to take place on August 29. Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra will argue on behalf of the Centre.

Petitioner Ravinder Kumar has filed a revision petition under Section 482 and Section 397 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) challenging the order of the metropolitan magistrate in which he dismissed his complaint on the ground that the petition was not maintainable.

Mr Kumar has sought the intervention of the High Court for his petition to be heard by the magistrate.

The petitioner sought that under the law whosoever gives a gratification to any person with an object of inducing him to excercise his electoral rights amounts to violation of the electoral codes, thereby his election stands cancelled.

He stated that the dinner hosted by Ms Gandhi, a day prior to the Presidential election amounts to the violation of the electoral codes. All those who attended the dinner were equally accused in the said violation, the petitioner added.

UNI