HC fixes November 22 as next date of hearing on plea challenging Modi's election

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court today fixed November 22 as the next date of hearing on a petition challenging the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

Upon completion of arguments by Modi's counsel Satyapal Jain, Justice Vikram Nath directed petitioner Ajay Rai to reply to the contentions made on behalf of the respondent by the next date of hearing.

During his arguments, which lasted for four days, Jain - a senior Supreme Court lawyer and BJP leader - prayed that the petition be "dismissed in limine, with exemplary costs, without being put on trial".

Jain also claimed that the allegations made by the petitioner were "vague and cryptic" and that during the entire election process, there was no violation by Modi of any provision of Representation of the People Act.

Rai, a Congress MLA from Pindra assembly segment in Uttar Pradesh, had fought the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi.

He finished a distant third and ended up losing his deposit.

The high-voltage electoral battle had turned out to be a virtually one-sided affair with Modi defeating his nearest rival, Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, by a margin of 3.71 lakh votes.