New Delhi/Bhopal, March 19 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Congress unit has hailed the Supreme Court's decision to stay the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order and maintain Congress leader Mukesh Malhotra's status as a legislator until the next hearing.

The Congress described the interim relief by the apex court as a "victory for truth, justice, and the Constitution", asserting that the democratic mandate of the people of Vijaypur has been upheld against political interference.

The apex court was hearing a petition challenging the High Court's March 10 order, which had declared Malhotra's 2024 by-election victory from the Vijaypur Assembly constituency in Sheopur district as "null and void".

Reacting to the SC order, State Congress President Jitu Patwari expressed gratitude to the apex court and said the court judgment had exposed political motives.

"Through this historic verdict, the BJP's political conspiracies have once again been foiled. It is to be hoped that the BJP, which habitually commits the crime of insulting democracy and the Constitution, will always remember this legal lesson. This is the victory of truth, justice, democracy, and the Constitution," Patwari said.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in State Assembly and veteran Congress leader, Umang Singhar, said the court judgment went beyond an individual case.

"The people of Vijaypur had elected Mukesh Malhotra as their MLA; however, the BJP government, steeped in the arrogance of power, along with an Election Commission acting like a 'caged parrot', made every possible attempt to overturn the public mandate," Singhar added.

The LoP also thanked Congress leader Vivek Tankha for representing Mukesh Malhotra in the Supreme Court.

"Truth may be troubled, but it can never be defeated," Singhar added.

The Supreme Court has posted the matter for further hearing on July 23.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier held that Mukesh Malhotra concealed details of pending criminal cases in his election affidavit and declared BJP leader Ramniwas Rawat as the duly elected MLA.

The Vijaypur bypoll in November 2024 saw a political contest between two turncoats, with Mukesh Malhotra defeating Ramniwas Rawat by more than 7,000 votes.

--IANS

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