'Unlawful': Congress Claims 'No Criminal Case' Against Meenakshi Natarajan, Urges EC To Reverse Nomination Rejection
'Unlawful': Congress Claims 'No Criminal Case' Against Meenakshi Natarajan, Urges EC To Reverse Nomination Rejection Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 14:52 IST According
'Unlawful': Congress Claims 'No Criminal Case' Against Meenakshi Natarajan, Urges EC To Reverse Nomination Rejection Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 14:52 IST According to Congress, there is no criminal case pending against Natarajan in the eyes of the law because no court has taken cognisance of the private complaint. Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan files nomination for Rajya Sabha elections. (Source: PTI) A delegation of top Congress leaders on Wednesday approached the Election Commission (EC), challenging the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination papers in Rajya Sabha elections and urging the poll body to immediately reverse the decision, which they called “completely egregious, blatant, patently unlawful". A delegation comprising senior leaders K C Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, Deepa Dasmunshi, Vivek Tankha, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Meenakshi Natarajan met the Election Commission, arguing that the Returning Officer’s decision was based on a legally untenable premise. According to the party, there is no criminal case pending against Natarajan in the eyes of the law because no court has taken cognisance of the private complaint cited as the basis for rejecting her nomination. ‘No Criminal Case That Exists In Law’ Addressing a press conference after meeting the Election Commission, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the rejection stemmed from a misconception. “The basis of the rejection was a misconception that there is some criminal case pending against her, which she did not disclose in her form. The irony is that there is no criminal case that actually exists in law, that is established, that she could have disclosed," Singhvi said.
Also Read: Who Is Meenakshi Natarajan? Rahul Gandhi Loyalist Caught In Rajya Sabha Poll Storm He maintained that a private complaint does not automatically amount to a criminal case unless a competent court takes cognisance of it. In a video message, Singhvi termed the Returning Officer’s action “poor and absolutely partisan". He added that the order was “patently and blatantly illegal", asserting that “no criminal case, in the eyes of the law, exists against Ms Natarajan." Explaining the legal position, he said, “In a private complaint, which anyone can file against anyone, no criminal case comes into existence unless and until the magistrate or the concerned judge takes cognisance." He added that, at most, the concerned court had only issued a notice to Natarajan and that the question of taking cognisance was yet to be decided after hearing her. “At the highest, in the present case, a court has only issued a notice to her on a private complaint well before that court has taken cognisance, and indeed, the issue of cognisance is yet to be decided after hearing her by that court. So, where is the question of a criminal case which she had to disclose?" Singhvi asked. Congress Calls Rejection ‘Egregious’ And ‘Unlawful’ The Congress urged the Election Commission to exercise its powers and restore what it called “a level playing field" in the election process. “We had a detailed representation to the Election Commission. They have rejected Ms Natarajan’s nomination on the non-existence of even cognisance, which means there is no criminal case which she could have disclosed," Singhvi said.
Also Read: Who Led The Meenakshi Natarajan Case Papers Out? BJP Claims It Was An ‘Inside Job’ He added, “EC has the power to do justice and the power to right wrongs. We hope and trust that the EC will realise that this creates a non-level playing field which strikes at the heart of democracy. We have requested them to make an immediate decision." Describing the Returning Officer’s order in strong terms, Singhvi said, “This is a completely egregious, blatant, patently unlawful, and without law order. It should be set aside immediately." ‘Undermines Democratic Process’ The Congress leader also argued that the rejection undermines the democratic process by eliminating a candidate before the contest begins. “We have said that because of such a foolish mistake, a person appointed to the Rajya Sabha cannot be deposed in the very beginning. This is against the Constitution and its principles. It creates a non-level playing field," he said. He further added, “You have already removed someone from the race, so that there is no election." Singhvi expressed hope that the Election Commission would intervene promptly, noting that there was still time for corrective action as the day also marked the deadline for withdrawal of nominations. “No one can, and should, in a true democracy, be denied even the right to nominate oneself for the Rajya Sabha in this manner," he said. Why Was Natarajan’s Nomination Rejected? Natarajan’s nomination for a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh was rejected by the Election Commission after objections were raised that she had failed to disclose details of a pending “case" in her nomination papers.
The case in question is reportedly pending before a court in Telangana. The Returning Officer rejected her nomination following a complaint by senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. According to the complaint, Natarajan did not disclose the pending case in Telangana in the affidavit accompanying her nomination papers, leading to the rejection of her candidature. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Prisha Vibhavari Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st... Read More Location: Bhopal, India, India First Published: June 10, 2026, 14:50 IST News india 'Unlawful': Congress Claims 'No Criminal Case' Against Meenakshi Natarajan, Urges EC To Reverse Nomination Rejection Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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