The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition against Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on the misuse of government machinery during the Punjab Assembly elections of 2002.
While dismissing the petition, the single-judge bench of Justice Daya Chaudhary on Tuesday observed that the mere presence of a gazetted officer at a press conference did not prove corrupt practice as envisaged under Section 123(7) of the Representation of Peoples Act.
The Bench said the charges in the election petition are to be proved like a criminal charge and the same are to be proved beyond reasonable doubt and not merely by preponderance of probabilities.
In previous hearings, the High Court while hearing this election petition had said that Amarinder Singh has contested five times after the 2002 elections, so what is the basis of this petition now.
It is pertinent to note that after the 2002 Assembly elections, the candidate Harkirat Singh, contesting against the Captain, had filed a petition in the High Court accusing him of using government machinery and his influence during the election and demanded his election to be cancelled.
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EP_26_2002_05_01_2021_FINAL_ORDER