KalingaTV News Network
Cuttack: In a major relief to Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) Mayor K Madhavi, the Orissa High Court issued an interim stay on lower court’s order disqualifying her election as corporator on Tuesday.
The Ganjam District and Sessions Court had on February 13 declared Madhavi’s election as null and void on charges of submitting false affidavit about her marital status before the poll. Besides, she was slapped a fine of Rs 2,000.
District and Sessions Court judge M R Das had pronounced the judgement saying that Madhavi violated provisions of the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act.
According to the Act, a person having two spouses cannot contest the urban local body election, the petitioner’s (former Berhampur Mayor Siba Sankar Das) counsel Jagat Mohan Patnaik said.
Das had filed the case against Madhavi. He had also moved the Orissa High Court seeking early disposal of the case following which the HC had directed the lower court to pronounce the judgment within 45 days.
Later, Madhavi’s counsel Kishore Bisoi had challenged the lower court’s order in the Orissa High Court.
Notably, Madhavi was the first woman mayor of the 40-member civic body. She was elected as the corporator from Ward No 16. Later, she was elected as the Mayor of the BeMC and had been in office since June 2016.
Ms Kalinga