After Supreme Court rejected the review plea, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will have to face trial in a case related to his election affidavit.
However, Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday tried to diminish the intensity of the setback. Trying to downplay the Supreme Court’s order, Fadnavis said that the criminal cases which are subjected to non-disclosure in the poll affidavit have been “closed”.
While talking to the reporters at Vidhan Bhavan premises, Devendra Fadnavis informed that the proceedings of the case have already begun as he appeared before the court on February 20. The review petition was dismissed on February 18 but was uploaded on the SC's website on March 3.
“Both the cases are from 1996 and political. The cases have been closed now. I will present my side before the Supreme Court,” said Fadnavis.
The former Maharashtra CM asserted that both the cases which were filed against him earlier were politically motivated.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Devendra Fadnavis had filed a review petition in connection with 2019 Supreme Court order which stated that criminal proceedings should be started against him in the 2014 poll affidavit case.
Devendra Fadnavis had allegedly concealed information about two pending criminal cases registered against him and the BJP leader had had sought pardon from the Supreme Court after a court in Nagpur summoned him over the same.
Earlier, Satish Uke – a lawyer based in Nagpur – had filed a petition in a lower court asking the criminal proceedings to be started against Fadnavis for failing to disclose information about two criminal cases in his poll affidavit in 2014.
However, the lower court dismissed the petition filed by Uke and the Bombay High Court upheld the order passed by the lower court.
Later, the Supreme Court in October last year directed a lower court to go ahead with the criminal proceeding against former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
The non-disclosure of cases in the poll affidavit amounts to an offence punishable under section 125A of the Representation of People Act, 1951. After SC’s order in October, the Nagpur court issued a notice to Fadnavis citing the same.
Also Read - No Proposal On Muslim Quota Before Maharashtra Government: CM Uddhav Thackeray
The cases of cheating and forgery were filed against BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in 1996 and 1998, respectively. However, the charges were not framed in both cases.
Share
Tweet
