Overview

• The Nagpur bench dismissed Prafulla Gudadhe’s petition against CM Devendra Fadnavis for his victory in Nagpur South-West, citing his absence during the January filing.
• Identical technical objections were applied to petitions against BJP MLAs Mohan Mate, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Deorao Bhongle and Kiritkumar Bhangadia.
• Justice Pravin Patil upheld Section 81(1) of the Representation of the People Act, requiring petitioners to be physically present when submitting electoral challenges.
• Gudadhe’s team contended that he had signed documents earlier and faced a party meeting in Delhi on the designated date, but the court ruled the filings non-maintainable.
• Petitioners’ counsel Pavan Dahat confirmed plans to appeal to the Supreme Court while awaiting the detailed judgment expected soon.