SC Rejects Ananta Jena’s Pleas on Election Petitions

Cuttack: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed two Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) filed by BJD’s Bhubaneswar Central MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, who had challenged an Orissa High Court order refusing to reject petitions seeking to nullify his election.

A single-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant upheld the High Court’s decision while hearing Jena’s SLPs.

The original petitions in the High Court were filed by BJP candidate Jagannath Pradhan, who contested the 2024 Assembly elections from Bhubaneswar Central, and by his proposer Gorachand Mangaraj. They sought to declare Jena’s election null and void, calling for a fresh poll for the constituency.

Jena had earlier filed interim applications before the High Court, urging it to dismiss the petitions without a full hearing. However, the High Court rejected his pleas, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court—where his challenge was once again rejected.

Meanwhile, Justice Anand Chandra Behera of the Orissa High Court on Monday directed both parties to submit the draft issues, along with their lists of witnesses and documents, relating to the main case.

The High Court has scheduled the next hearing on the petitions filed by Pradhan and Mangaraj for December 10.