Allahabad, December 6: The Allahabad High Court on Friday rejected the petition challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election from Varanasi constituency. The plea, filed by former Border Security Force (BSF) constable Tej Bahadur Yadav, sought the disqualification of Modi from his Lok Sabha membership, alleging violation of norms by the Election Commission in the conduct of polls in the parliamentary segment.

Justice Manoj Gupta, while pronouncing the verdict in the case, said there is no merit in the petition filed by Yadav. The court, he said, has decided to dismiss the petition after finding no anomalies in the conduct of elections from the Varanasi constituency. Ex-BSF Jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav Wants PM Modi to Answer 'Why No Inquiry Ordered Into Pulwama Terror Attack'.

Yadav, who had filed his nomination as a Samajwadi Party candidate from the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, was barred from contesting after the polling body found him not adhering to the laid norms while filing the candidature.

The Returning Officer had on May 1 rejected his plea, claiming that Yadav failed to submit a certificate before the polling body which states that he was not dismissed from the BSF due to corruption or disloyalty.

The ex-BSF personnel, however, alleged a foul play, claiming that his nomination papers included all necessary documents. He had earlier moved the Supreme Court, but the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had dismissed his plea citing "lack of merit".

"We don't find any merit to entertain this petition," the CJI-headed apex court bench had ordered on May 9, days before the polls in Varanasi. The former soldier was then forced to file a plea before the Allahabad High Court, which began hearings in the case from August this year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 06, 2019 04:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).