Chennai, June 19:
The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Hindu Makkal Katchi founder Arjun Sampath seeking to restrict candidature in Scheduled Caste reserved constituencies to candidates professing Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism, ruling that such issues must be raised through election petitions.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S. A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan observed that grievances related to disqualification or alleged false declarations in nomination papers fall within the scope of election petitions and cannot be adjudicated in a writ proceeding.
The court noted that Returning Officers have the authority to scrutinise nomination papers and reject those that are clearly invalid or disqualified, and that any alleged irregularities after scrutiny must be challenged through appropriate electoral remedies.
It also found that the petitioner had not produced any material evidence showing fraudulent certificates or procedural lapses in recent elections, and accordingly dismissed the plea.