Court dismisses plea challenging returning officer’s rejection of nomination papers

AIMIM member Mohammed Anwar Abdullah Shaikh's plea was rejected because the court lacked jurisdiction before election completion. (Source: File)

A small causes court on Friday rejected a plea by a member of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), challenging the rejection of his nomination papers for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.

Mohammed Anwar Abdullah Shaikh had approached court after his nomination form was rejected on December 31, 2025, for elections from Ward 119 in Vikhroli. Shaikh’s lawyer said the plea was dismissed with the court noting that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear the challenge to the decision of the returning officer before the elections are completed.

Shaikh had claimed that the decision to reject his nomination paper was taken arbitrarily and it violates his fundamental rights.

His plea had said that on December 30, 2025, he had reached the designated nomination centre at 11 am to contest from Ward 119. The plea says that the centre was unorganised and claimed that the RO ‘exploited’ this to ‘perpetrate deliberate malpractice’. Shaikh has said he was directed to the RO, whom he approached to clarify his queries before the final submission of his nomination form, including pending signatures and details. He said the documents were sought by the RO for a preliminary review and he was assured that he will get the opportunity to finalise the form before the deadline but instead the RO allegedly prematurely accepted the form and given a notice to appear the next day for scrutiny. He alleged that the next day he was not permitted to make the changes and subsequently his form was rejected. He claimed that others at the centre were allowed to make changes, alleging partiality.

The plea had sought CCTV footage from the centre and quashing of the order rejecting his nomination. It has also sought that his nomination form be considered valid and he be included in the list of candidates.