Overview
- Justice GS Ahluwalia set aside Mukesh Malhotra’s November 2024 victory for deliberate nondisclosure of criminal antecedents, terming it a corrupt practice that unduly influenced voters.
- The court named BJP leader Ramniwas Rawat, who finished second in the bypoll, the duly elected MLA and directed election authorities to complete formalities, subject to the stay.
- A 15‑day stay on the judgment’s operation keeps the seat’s status unresolved as Malhotra seeks interim relief from the Supreme Court and Congress readies an appeal.
- The 72‑page order stressed that hiding the stage of ‘framing of charges’ in two cases misled the electorate and that proof of a material impact on the result was unnecessary.
- The Vijaypur contest in Sheopur featured two recent party switchers, with Malhotra defeating Rawat by 7,364 votes before the court’s annulment.