Sonthalia approached the High Court and his election petition was dismissed in January 2020. He then moved the Supreme Court where Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and K V Vishwanathan, appearing for him, contended that wherever a statute uses the word “date” with reference to an event, courts have always interpreted the same to have happened at the intersection of the previous day and the present day, namely 00.01 a.m. “This is firstly because it is at that time that the day begins and secondly because law abhors fractions,” they submitted, and said the conviction is deemed in law to have commenced at about 00.01 am when the date of March 22 lapsed and March 23 began.