slapping a fine of Rs 5 lakh on a petitioner who filed what the court deemed a ‘frivolous’ plea against Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s election to the Rajya Sabha in 2019.
Bhagyadhar Behera, a 64-year-old company secretary based in Bhubaneswar, submitted the petition through advocate Sidharth Prasad Das on March 19.
In his petition, Behera requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to expedite an inquiry into his complaint alleging that Vaishnaw had provided false information when filing his nominations for the 2019 Rajya Sabha elections.
However, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Charadhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman dismissed the petition, stating, “After reviewing the details in the writ petition, we firmly believe that filing this petition is an abuse of the court’s process. Furthermore, it seems this petition has political motivations.”
The bench added, “As part of judicial review, the court has a responsibility to deter the submission of frivolous and vexatious writ applications because such unnecessary litigation hampers the court’s ability to address genuine disputes.”
The court instructed Behera to deposit the specified amount into the High Court Bar Association Advocates’ Welfare Fund within three weeks, emphasizing that the fine serves as a deterrent against similar petitions.
Vaishnaw, elected to the Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket from Odisha in 2019, secured re-election from the state in 2024.
