HARI SHANKAR PRASAD GUPTA Vs. SUKHDEO PRASAD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS writ petition has been filed by Hari Shankar Prasad Gupta under Article 226 of the constitution. The reliefs claimed by him are as follows :

(2.) THE applicant, Hari Shankar Prasad Gupta, was elected to the House of the People of Uttar pradesh from the North Constituency, district Gorakhpur. Shibban Lal Saksena was a rival candidate. He filed an election petition challenging the election of the applicant. The petition was numbered as Election Petition No. 224 of 1952. The Election Commission appointed an election. Tribunal to hear this petition and Sri Brij Narain, District Judge, Gorakhpur, was appointed the Chairman of the Election Tribunal. The two members nominated by the Election commission were,. Sri Brij Behari Lal, Retired District Judge of Uttar Pradesh, and Sri Sukhdeo prasad, Advocate, Gorakhpur. The Election Tribunal proceeded with the hearing of the petition and examined as many as 43 witnesses for the petitioner, Sri Shibban Lal Saksena, and, on the close of his evidence 67 witnesses for Hari Shankar Prasad Gupta, the applicant. The Tribunal has said that the statement of Hari Shankar Prasad and a few short witnesses on his behalf remained to be recorded. It was at this stage that Hari Shankar Prasad Gupta filed an application before the Election Tribunal challenging the appointment of Sri Sukhdeo Prasad on the ground that he was not an advocate of 10 years' standing. This application was dismissed by the Election Tribunal by its order dated 28th August, 1953. There was an appeal filed before the Election Commission which was dismissed on 15th September, 1953. It was while that appeal was pending before the Election commission that this writ petition was moved on 2nd September, 1953.

(3.) THE opposite party has raised two preliminary objections, firstly, that this Court has no jurisdiction to entertain the application and reliance was placed on a decision of the Supreme court in -- 'election Commission, India v. Saka Venkata Rao', AIR 1953 SC 210 (A), and secondly, that certain necessary parties, namely, the Election Commission and the Registrar of the High Court have not been impleaded.