MP Minister says will approach high court over EC disqualification notice

Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra, who was disqualified by the Election Commission for filing wrong accounts of his election-related expenditure, on Saturday said he will challenge the order in the high court.

"Whether I will remain a member or not, that probably has not been mentioned. I also haven't got the order yet. I will go to the high court," Mishra told ANI

Mishra had been disqualified from contesting for three years from today. His election from the Datia Assembly constituency also stands void.

The EC took the decision after he did not file certain details in his election expenditure in the 2008 polls.

The decision is based on a complaint by former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti in April 2009 alleging Mishra hadn't filed certain details in his election expenditure during the 2008 assembly elections.

Mishra has challenged the notice in the high court bench at Gwalior and managed to get a stay in light of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's case proceeding in the top court. The court, however, vacated the stay order after considering the facts submitted by complainant's counsel.

Mishra approached the Supreme Court to stall the EC proceedings but the top court did not grant him any relief.

Last year, the poll panel questioned Mishra in Delhi about the allegations. It found that he hadn't revealed his expenditure on paid news.

The EC has the power to disqualify a candidate if he fails to submit the account of expenses within time. In this case, the money spent on paid news wasn't shown in the account.

-ANI