Bharatiya Popular Party Bpp v. Election Commission Of India

Digitally signed by GAURI AMIT GAEKWAD Date:

2026.03.06 11:13:42 +0530 GAURI AMIT GAEKWAD 47.CP-140-2026.odt

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CONTEMPT PETITION NO.140 OF 2026 IN WRIT PETITION NO.16022 OF 2025 Bharatiya Popular Party (BPP) ....Petitioner

Versus

Election Commission of India ....Respondent ---- Ms. Rohini A.K. a/w. Mr. Sohail Ali for the Petitioner. Ms. Naira Jejeebhoy a/w. Mr. Arun Panickar, Mr. Tanmay Pawar, Mr. Ravindra Jadhav and Mr. Aayush Yadav for the Respondent. ---- CORAM : RAVINDRA V. GHUGE & ABHAY J. MANTRI, JJ.

DATE : 4th MARCH, 2026 P.C. :- 1.

The learned Advocate for the Election Commission of India submits that, pursuant to the order of this Court dated 23rd December, 2025, the Commission has commenced the verification exercise. The scrutiny, as provided under the statute, is mandatory.

2.

Recently, a challenge to such scrutiny was negated by the Delhi High Court vide order dated 2nd February, 2026 in Writ Petition (C) No.1361 of 2026 and Civil Misc. Application No.6727 Gauri Gaekwad

47.CP-140-2026.odt of 2026, concluding that the Commission is well within its rights to demand affidavits of 100 members of the party who claim that they are members of that political party. The Commission is entitled to carry out the verification exercise in respect of the details furnished by the party. It is a serious matter that in respect of verification exercise, some of the members who gave the affidavit are factually found to be not the members of the said party. 3.

In light of the above, the learned Advocate for the Election Commission of India submits that since the verification exercise is almost complete and the Petitioner party has responded to it's queries on 4th February, 2026, a final decision on the registration of the Petitioner party would be arrived at within a period of 15 days from today. The learned Advocate for the Petitioner submits that the Petitioner is satisfied. 4.

In view of the above, this Contempt Petition is disposed off.

(ABHAY J. MANTRI, J.) (RAVINDRA V. GHUGE, J.) Gauri Gaekwad