Kerala Congress (Mani) row: SC upholds High Court’s confirmation of EC order

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld Kerala High Court’s confirmation of an Election Commission (EC) order declaring a group led by Jose K. Mani as the official Kerala Congress (Mani) and granting it the official election symbol of ‘Two Leaves’.

In a brief hearing, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde dismissed P.J. Joseph’s appeal, saying two Benches of the High Court had concurred to uphold the Commission’s order. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Mr. Joseph, submitted that the High Court erred in not examining whether the EC order was in accordance with the law. He said the Commission’s decision was “baseless”.