The Bombay High Court on Wednesday imposed costs of Rs 10,000 on an independent candidate contesting the Lok Sabha bypoll from Mumbai North-west constituency, who had challenged the nomination of Congress candidate Priya Dutt, observing that the petitioner had tried to disturb the election process.
Vacation judge A V Mohata asked the petitioner, Rakesh Arora, to pay the amount within three days for disturbing the election process.
Arora had filed a petition saying that Priya had given her name in the nomination form as Dutt Priya Sunil, using the name of her father and not her husband Owen Roncon.
This, he alleged, was done by Priya to cash in on the goodwill of her father Sunil Dutt, MP, who passed away on May 25, as a result of which the bypoll was necessiated.
The judge asked the petitioner to point out any law or earlier court ruling to justify his objection to the Congress candidate using her father's name instead of her husband's.
The petitioner said that the issue was absolutely new and needed to be looked into.
Thereupon, the court adjourned the matter to November 16, while asking him to pay the costs.
Replying to the petition, the Election Commission said Priya Dutt had mentioned her name in the nomination form similar to what appeared in the voters list.
The petitioner said Priya had filled in her name as Dutt Priya Sunil in two of the four nomination forms filled by her and mentioned husband Owen Roncon's name in the other forms. He alleged that Priya had misrepresenting facts in the nomination forms. As she is married, her name in the form should read Priya Owen Roncon, he contended.