Facing another setback, the State Congress is planning to approach the Supreme Court (SC) in Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre case. With this, State politics is witnessing a stir once again. After failing to secure relief from the High Court, the party has announced its decision to challenge the ruling. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Umang Singhar said, “The Madhya Pradesh Congress will now knock on the doors of the Supreme Court regarding the Nirmala Sapre case. The party will challenge the High Court’s decision. During the hearings, the Congress had presented all necessary documents and evidence to support its position. MLA Nirmala Sapre has joined the BJP, and appropriate action must be taken in this matter.” The Congress maintains that a final verdict on this dispute will now be sought from the Supreme Court. Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar had previously approached the High Court demanding action against Congress MLA Nirmala Sapre under the anti-defection law.

 

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal heard the matter. Dismissing the petition, the court observed that the Assembly Speaker is proceeding with the case in accordance with legal processes. Since statements from the concerned parties have already been recorded, there is no need for judicial intervention at this stage. Notably, the entire dispute centers on Nirmala Sapre, the Congress MLA from the Bina Assembly constituency in Sagar district. The Congress alleged that she appeared publicly with the BJP after sharing the stage with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at an event in Rahatgarh on May 5, 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections. The party claims that she embraced the BJP but did not resign from her post as an MLA. On these grounds, the Congress had demanded that her election be declared void and that action be taken against her under the anti-defection law. Process incomplete even after two years: The petition stated that an application seeking action under the anti-defection law was submitted to Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar on June 30, 2024. The Congress argued that the Supreme Court has emphasised the need for time-bound hearings in such matters; however, the process remained incomplete despite the lapse of more than two years. Citing this delay, the High Court was urged to intervene and direct the Assembly Speaker to reach a decision promptly. Meanwhile, MLA Nirmala Sapre clarified in the court that while she had resigned from Congress membership, she had not joined the BJP.

 

Dismissing the allegations against her as baseless, she stated that she was being unnecessarily dragged into a legal dispute. On the other hand, the Government informed the court that the Assembly Speaker had already recorded the statements of the concerned parties and the process was ongoing. After hearing arguments from all sides, the High Court dismissed the petition while delivering its verdict. State Legislative Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar is presiding over this high-profile defection case. Umang Singhar filed a petition with Speaker Tomar to disqualify Sapre under the Anti-Defection Law and demanded her disqualification. Opposition had made a plea for by-election in the Bina constituency since MLA Nirmala Sapre controversially aligned herself with the ruling BJP in May 2024 but did not resign her MLA seat. After the 2024 event, Congress had made plea before the State Assembly Speaker.