Chennai, May 12:
In a significant development ahead of the Assembly confidence vote, the Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained TVK candidate Srinivasa Sethupathi from participating in the floor test scheduled later in the day.
The interim order was passed while hearing a petition filed by former DMK minister K.R. Periyakaruppan, who had narrowly lost the election by a margin of just one vote.
Periyakaruppan approached the court alleging irregularities in the handling of a postal ballot. According to his plea, a vote that was meant to be recorded in Tirupattur Constituency No. 185 was allegedly transferred to Tirupattur Constituency No. 50 in Vellore district, thereby impacting the final result. He further claimed that despite lodging a complaint, the Election Commission failed to take appropriate action.
During the hearing, the Election Commission maintained that no rules were violated, stating that complaints regarding postal ballot discrepancies cannot be acted upon once the counting process has commenced. It also clarified that no postal vote had been transferred between constituencies.
However, the High Court observed that there appeared to be sufficient prima facie evidence supporting the petitioner’s claims. Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the court issued an interim order restraining Srinivasa Sethupathi from functioning as an MLA for the purpose of the confidence vote.
Additionally, the court directed authorities to ensure that all postal ballots related to the case are securely preserved. It also ordered that relevant video footage connected to the counting process be safeguarded for further examination. The case is expected to have crucial implications on the ongoing political developments in Tamil Nadu.