The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the results of the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The plea, filed by Mumbai resident Chetan Chandrakant Ahire, alleged that around 76 lakh votes were cast after the official polling time of 6 pm, citing procedural irregularities and a lack of transparency.

The court, consisting of Justices GS Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, questioned why similar voting patterns in previous elections had not been challenged and noted that the petition lacked substantial merit without evidence linking post-6 pm polling results to any winning candidate. While expressing that "a whole day of this court was wasted," the bench chose not to impose costs on the petitioners. The Election Commission had also raised objections regarding the petitioner's standing and the absence of winning candidates as parties to the lawsuit, which the court accepted in its decision to dismiss the plea.

SOURCE: Bharat Aawaz