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Bhopal: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a ruling of the Madhya Pradesh HC’s Gwalior bench that annulled the 2024 bypoll victory of Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra, reports Suchandana Gupta.The HC had invalidated the assembly bypoll outcome on a plea by Malhotra’s closest rival, BJP’s Ram Niwas Rawat, claiming that the former had not disclosed the criminal cases against him in his poll affidavit.Taking up Congress’s plea challenging the HC ruling, the SC upheld the status of Malhotra as MLA from Vijaypur constituency with conditions: He would not be allowed to cast his ballot during the RS polls, not participate in voting in the assembly polls, and not be able to draw his salary and perks as legislator or access funds under MLALADS. However, he will remain Vijaypur MLA till the SC delivers final verdict. tnn
