The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the election of Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal on grounds of giving "communal speeches" after neither the petitioner nor his counsel appeared in the case despite getting repeated opportunities.

A single bench of Justice Vishal Dhagat dismissed the plea on December 12 and also cited two previous cases in which the issued raised in the application had been settled. "In view of aforesaid, since the petitioner is not appearing despite repeated opportunities being granted to him, therefore, the election petition is dismissed for want of prosecution," the judge said. Bhopal resident Rakesh Dixit had filed the petition, alleging Thakur had given "communal speeches and incited religious sentiment" to win the 2019 Lok Sabha election in violation of section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.