The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, marking a setback in the ongoing legal dispute concerning the constituency’s 2024 Assembly election results.
Tripathy had approached the apex court to challenge a decision made by the Odisha High Court, which declined to quash an election petition lodged against him at a preliminary stage. The High Court had determined that the case should proceed.
In his plea, Tripathy contended that the election petition filed by former MLA Dipali Das was not maintainable, citing alleged technical defects in the affidavit and other procedural irregularities. He sought the dismissal of the case at the threshold stage.
However, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court found no substantial grounds to interfere with the High Court’s ruling and dismissed the special leave petition, stating that the plea lacked merit.
Following this ruling, the election petition filed by Dipali will continue to be heard in the High Court. Advocate Abhijnan Jha, representing Dipali, had previously filed a caveat in the Supreme Court to ensure that no ex parte order was issued without hearing her side.
The legal proceedings pertain to the Jharsuguda Assembly constituency election, the outcome of which has been under judicial scrutiny since the petition was filed.
