Nomination of AAP candidate rejected for concealing conviction in drug case

In a major development in the Panchayat Samiti elections for the Hardokhanpur Zone, the nomination of Rakesh Kumar, a candidate from the ruling party, was rejected by the Returning Officer after a formal objection was filed on the grounds of non-disclosure of a criminal conviction and filing a false affidavit.

Surinder Kumar, a rival candidate from the same zone, filed the objection citing that Rakesh Kumar had failed to disclose his conviction in a criminal case. According to the objection, Rakesh Kumar was convicted by the Special Court, Jalandhar, in a narcotics-related case (NDPS-1529-2017) and undergone 55 days imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 10,000. This conviction, Surinder Kumar argued, was a material fact directly affecting the candidate's eligibility for public office, especially since the law requires full disclosure of any criminal background.

The objection further claimed that Rakesh Kumar deliberately withheld this critical information from his affidavit submitted along with the nomination papers. Surinder Kumar emphasised that this intentional suppression amounted to gross misconduct and fraudulent misrepresentation, thereby undermining the transparency of the electoral process.

The Returning Officer, Gurmeet Singh confirmed that after reviewing the objection and the supporting documents, Rakesh Kumar's nomination was rejected for concealment of facts. The decision was in line with the legal provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Supreme Court's directives that mandate the disclosure of criminal antecedents by candidates.

Reacting to the decision, Former MLA Pawan Adia hailed the rejection as a victory for electoral integrity. "The Returning Officer has acted swiftly to uphold the sanctity of the election process. Rakesh Kumar's concealment of his criminal conviction should never have been allowed. This has unveiled the real face of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

They have been playing a drama of fighting war against drugs menace (Yudh Nashian Virudh), but the reality is that they are hand in glove with them and nominarion of an NDPS act convict makes it clear that their 'Yudh' is a complete farce. On the one hand hey have been asking people to inform about and give names of drug smugglers saying that they will be rewarded and their names will be kept secret, but on the other hand they are nominating a person convicted in drug case as their candidate", Adia remarked.

Surinder Kumar has welcomed the rejection of Rakesh Kumar's nomination and urged that strict action be taken under relevant legal provisions for filing a false affidavit. "I had filed the objection on his nomination as everyone in the village knows that he is into drug trade and convicted. Today I saw the final list today and his name was not there in the list of candidates".