Najeeb Kanthapuram can continue as MLA; HC dismisses Perinthalmanna election case

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court dismissed the Perinthalmanna election case. The court observed that Najeeb Kanthapuram can continue as MLA. The plea of LDF candidate K P Muhammad Musthafa was dismissed.

Musthafa filed a plea in the high court pointing that the process of selecting League candidate Najeeb Kanthapuram from Perinthalmanna assembly constituency was illegal. The plea pointed irregularities in the postal votes. Musthafa also complained that the directions issued by the Election Commission regarding the counting of postal votes were violated.

Musthafa's complaint was that 340 postal ballots were not counted. The reason said the presiding officer did not sign. Najeeb Kanthapuram won by 38 votes. Special postal votes were not counted citing irregularities. Musthafa approached the high court against the annulment of these votes.

During the proceedings related to the case, the box containing the election documents went missing. It was later found from the office of the joint registrar of Cooperatives in Malappuram. These boxes were later brought to the high court for inspection.

Meanwhile, Najeeb Kanthapuram filed a plea in the Supreme Court, stating that the petition submitted by the opposition candidate Musthafa in the high court, citing irregularity in the postal votes, will not stand. The Supreme Court did not interfere in this. It was observed that they are not interfering in the initial stage of the case.