One nomination, many FIRs: HC issues notice on Navneet Chaturvedi’s plea to club cases in Punjab RS by-poll

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday issued notice of motion on a petition filed by Navneet Chaturvedi for consolidation of multiple FIRs arising out of the same set of allegations linked to the Rajya Sabha by-election from Punjab, while also seeking extension of bail granted in one case to other identical matters.

Taking up Chaturvedi’s petition against the State of Punjab and other respondents., Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya also issued notice to MLA Dinesh Chadda, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Gurpreet Singh Banawali and Ashok Kumar Parashar.

Appearing through counsel Yadwinder Singh, Mohit Singla and Sanah Sahni, the petitioner contended that all FIRs registered against him “arise out of the same set of nomination documents” submitted during the Rajya Sabha by-poll and involved “identical allegations, common documentary evidence and overlapping witnesses”.

He sought directions for clubbing/consolidation of investigation and trial in all such FIRs, along with a direction that the benefit of bail granted to him on December 24, 2025, in one case be extended to the remaining identical FIRs. A further direction was sought for the filing of a consolidated supplementary challan.

The Bench was told that Chaturvedi decided to contest the by-poll as an Independent candidate against the ruling party nominee Rajinder Gupta. He submitted his nomination papers before the Returning Officer at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Chandigarh.

The plea stated that he, along with the nomination form, initially submitted a list of MLAs proposing his candidature, but the list did not contain their signatures. The incomplete nomination form was filed on October 6, 2025.

It was added that the petitioner, thereafter, re-submitted a complete nomination form on October 13, 2025, along with a list of 10 MLAs, including their signatures, supporting his candidature. The scrutiny of nomination papers was scheduled for October 14, 2025.

The petitioner alleged that his nomination papers along with the list of supporting MLAs were deliberately leaked on WhatsApp groups and social media platforms with mala fide intent to oust him from the electoral process. This, he claimed, resulted in the registration of multiple criminal FIRs across different districts in Punjab.

He further alleged that his nomination was rejected arbitrarily, without conducting any formal inquiry or granting him an opportunity of hearing, and the ruling party candidate Rajinder Gupta was declared elected on October 16, 2025.

The petition added that multiple FIRs were registered on the same day in different districts on complaints by MLAs whose names appeared as proposers. The complainants allegedly stated that they had neither proposed his name nor appended their signatures in support of his candidature.

Terming the FIRs as identical in nature, the petitioner argued that the multiplicity of proceedings amounted to harassment and abuse of process, necessitating consolidation. The matter will now be taken up on April 24.