Odisha HC stays Berhampur Mayor’s disqualification as corporator

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court today issued an interim stay on a lower court’s order of declaring Berhampur Municipal Corporation Mayor K Madhavi’s election as corporator void on the ground of submitting false affidavit.

Ganjam District and Sessions Court had on February 13 declared Madhavi’s election as null and void besides imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on her.

The court’s judgment had come following a petition filed by former Berhampur Mayor Siba Shankar Dash seeking declaration of Madhavi’s election as corporator invalid under Odisha Municipal Act on the grounds that she does not know Odia and also concealed the fact in the affidavit that she opted for second marriage without obtaining divorce from her first husband.