Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party challenging the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi declined to issue any direction on the request to annul the election results and order fresh polls. “How many votes did your political party get? People reject you and then you use judicial platform to get popularity,” the CJI observed, as reported by PTI.“We cannot issue an omnibus direction for the entire state that too at the instance of a political party,” the CJI added.The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) had moved the apex court seeking fresh elections after alleging that the Bihar government violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by transferring Rs 10,000 to women beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana after the election schedule was announced. The party claimed the move amounted to a corrupt practice and disturbed the level playing field.The scheme provides an initial financial grant of Rs 10,000 to women to promote self-employment and small businesses. The petition alleged that the debt-ridden state disbursed Rs 15,600 crore on the eve of polls, influencing voters in violation of Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.However, the bench said it would not entertain a writ petition on the issue and asked the party to approach the Patna High Court, observing that the matter pertained to one state.The BJP-led NDA retained power in the 243-member Assembly, winning 202 seats, while the INDIA bloc secured 35. The Jan Suraaj Party failed to win a single seat, with most of its candidates forfeiting their deposits.
