Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : The Gauhati High Court has directed Arunachal Pradesh BJP MLA Dasanglu to appear before it for concealing his assets in his election affidavit. Pul’s membership of the Assembly was revoked. The Itanagar bench of the High Court, in an order, passed an order under the Representation of the People Act. His election from Hayuliang assembly seat in Anjaw district was declared invalid. The BJP’s woman leader found it difficult to win the assembly elections by hiding her assets information. Because now the High Court has canceled his mlaship. This case is from Arunachal Pradesh. The Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court here has declared the election of ruling BJP MLA Dasanglu Pul in Arunachal Pradesh illegal under the Representation of the People Act. He was accused of hiding information about his assets in his election affidavit. The court held that the respondent/returned candidate, Khadsanglu Pul, had not submitted his nomination papers as per Section 33 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and was thus liable to reject the nomination papers of the respondent/returned candidate. Dasanglu Pul, 45, was re-elected from Huliang in the May 2019 assembly elections. She had earlier won the seat in the by-election in 2016 following the death of her husband and former chief minister Kalikho Pul. Congress candidate Luplum Kri, who lost from Dasanglu Pul in 2019, had approached the high court challenging Ms Pul’s victory, saying she had not declared four properties in Mumbai and two in Arunachal Pradesh belonging to her husband in her election affidavit. He said Ms Pul’s nomination was accepted despite her objections. Ms Pul had said that she has given up her claim on her husband’s properties. The court, in its order, also observed that the wrongful acceptance of Dasanglu Pul’s nomination papers had materially affected the outcome of his election. Cree, in her plea, had claimed that Pul’s candidature was largely flawed as she had not declared four properties in Mumbai and two in Arunachal Pradesh belonging to her husband in the affidavit. The BJP MLA, however, told the court that kalikho Pul’s first wife Dangwimsai Pul was the owner of his property in view of the legal heir certificate, hence he did not mention any of these properties in his election affidavit. Pul later told reporters that she would challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court.
