Meenakshi to SC – EC acted arbitrarily:Says, ‘Let me contest Rajya Sabha polls, I’ll accept defeat if I don’t get votes’

At a press conference in Delhi, Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan said that since the matter is currently before the Supreme Court, she would not comment extensively on its legal aspects. However, she noted that the issue is already in the public domain and available on the Election Commission’s website. She explained that candidates are required to disclose any pending criminal cases or convictions for punishable offences. ‘This does not apply to me, which is why the cancellation of my nomination is wrong,’ she said. Natarajan stated that there is only a legal notice against her, the details of which she had fully disclosed in her Election Commission memorandum. She added that no court has taken cognisance of the matter so far. She further argued that there is no column in Form 26 requiring candidates to disclose information about a private complaint. She said, Had there been such a provision, we would certainly have provided the information. Natarajan said she would refrain from making further comments, as doing so would not be appropriate given the dignity of the Supreme Court, especially since all related documents and affidavits are already in the public domain.