The Telangana High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the election of CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao from Kothagudem. The petitioner, local voter Nandu Lal Agarwal, alleged that Rao concealed his wife’s name in his affidavit—violating Rule 4A of election regulations—and that the affidavit was improperly notarized using an expired notary certificate. However, Justice K Lakshman ruled that under the revised affidavit form, naming the spouse wasn’t mandatory. Moreover, Rao had already disclosed his wife’s PAN, income, assets, and liabilities—even though her name was omitted—which showed substantial compliance. The court also noted that the notary’s renewal was pending at the time, and was later regularized. Emphasizing that technical flaws shouldn’t overturn electoral mandates without evidence of malpractice, the court quashed the petition and upheld Rao’s election.

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