HC seeks response from ECI on educational qualification of INLD leader

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea seeking a probe into educational qualification details submitted by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala.

As per the plea, Chautala in the 2014 assembly election had claimed that he had the highest educational qualification a BA from Magadh University, Bodhgaya, passed in the year 2014. But, subsequently, in the 2019 assembly polls and 2021 by-election, he submitted his highest qualification as matriculation, the plea added seeking a probe into the genuineness of the degree and also alleging discrepancies in the income shown by the INLD leader.

“In this manner, he committed an electoral offence envisaged under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. It appears that the degree of B A obtained by respondent no. 2 (Chautala) from the Magadh University, Bodhgaya, is fake,” the petitioner, Jitender Jatasara from Charkhi Dadri had submitted.

After hearing the plea, the division bench comprising Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Sumeet Goel has sought a response from the ECI, petitioner’s lawyer Pardeep Rapria said. Detailed order from the court is still awaited.

The plea also seeks directions to ECI to devise a procedure for dealing with complaints against the candidates for furnishing false information at the time of filing nominations.