New Delhi

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday likened the Returning Officer's (RO) decision to reject Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections to saying "2+2=7," asserting that the order was legally untenable and based on a complete misreading of the law.

Speaking to the media after a Congress delegation met the Election Commission (EC) in New Delhi, Singhvi said the party had presented detailed legal arguments demonstrating that the RO's order was "perverse" and contrary to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

"We have told them (EC), and we have demonstrated, according to us, beyond doubt and beyond any matter of controversy, that the RO has passed a perverse order. An order akin to writing 2+2=7, not 4," Singhvi said.

A delegation of Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vivek Tankha, Digvijaya Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Meenakshi Natarajan, met Election Commission officials seeking intervention in the matter.

Explaining the party's legal position, Singhvi referred to Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, which mandates disclosure only in cases where charges have been formally framed by a court and where the alleged offence carries a punishment of more than two years.

According to Singhvi, the case cited by the Returning Officer had not even reached the stage of cognisance, let alone the framing of charges.

"Ms Natarajan only received a notice to appear before the court and explain why cognisance should not be taken. That means the notice was issued before any cognisance was taken. Without cognisance, no criminal case exists in the eyes of the law," he said.

The Congress leader argued that the nomination had been rejected at a stage far earlier than what the law requires for disclosure, calling the decision "egregious, blatant and patently unlawful."

He further urged the Election Commission to exercise its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to provide immediate corrective relief rather than forcing candidates to pursue lengthy legal proceedings after the election process.

Singhvi also cited precedents from Haryana and Gujarat, where the Election Commission had intervened in cases involving allegedly wrongful rejection of nomination papers.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said the party had conveyed its concerns to the poll panel and expressed hope that the matter would be examined promptly.

"They told that they will look into it," Venugopal said after the meeting.

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The controversy erupted after the nomination papers of Madhya Pradesh Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Meenakshi Natarajan were rejected on Tuesday. Polling for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections is scheduled to take place on June 18.