INDORE: The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday declared the 2013 election of BJP Dhar MLA Neena Verma null and void.Justice Alok Verma has granted a stay on the order for 45 days, during which Verma will continue to be the member of the legislative assembly from Dhar. The judgment was based on the ground that 24 columns in Neena Verma's accepted nomination form were left blank and that she had not given full information about her loans and her immovable property. Also, the petitioner's witnesses — Jitendra Singh Chouhan, Sudhir Tare and Sunil Sawant — testified in court that Verma had submitted the form with 24 blank columns, but it was accepted by election officials "under pressure from her supporters"."Neena Verma had submitted a defective affidavit, in which details of her bank loan had not been revealed. She had also stated false valuation of her immovable properties and given different figures at different places. The same property of hers was valued at Rs 5 lakh, Rs 27 lakh and Rs 55 lakh in three different parts of the affidavit," petitioner Suresh Chandra Bhandari said, adding that he had pointed out to the returning officer during scrutiny of forms that 24 columns in Verma's application were blank. "However, the form was accepted by the returning officer since they were pressured by Verma's aides," he said.Verma's counsel Champalal Yadav moved an application for a stay on the order. "The court has granted a stay for 45 days, within which we will challenge the order in Supreme Court," said Verma's counsel, advocate O P Solanki.In 2013, Verma had beaten Congress' Balmukund Gautam by over 10,480 votes. A petition filed by Gautam, challenging Verma's election, is pending in high court in which closing arguments are being made by the parties.

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