A three‑judge bench of the Supreme Court—Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta—dismissed an appeal filed by Samajwadi Party candidate Shaan‑e‑Hind Nihal Ahmed, upholding the Bombay High Court’s decision that the election of AIMIM’s Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique from Malegaon Central remains valid.
The Bombay High Court had held that saying “Amen” to a prayer for the candidate’s victory is not a formal pledge to vote, and that a prayer does not amount to soliciting votes on religious grounds. Applying Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, the court concluded that mere reference to religion without an explicit appeal for votes does not constitute a corrupt practice, leading to the petition’s dismissal at the threshold.
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