Chennai, September 15 (Daily Kiran) : A public interest litigation (PIL) is set to be heard by the Madras High Court on September 16, aimed at halting the upcoming by-elections in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies. This follows the resignation of six lawmakers from these areas, who left their posts to join the ruling party after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in April.
Previously, the High Court issued a stay on by-elections in several constituencies, including Ambasamudram, Perundurai, Karur, and Viralimalai, due to pending election petitions. However, since there are no pending petitions for Madurantakam and Dharapuram, the Election Commission has scheduled by-elections for October 6.
In response, Chennai-based lawyer Sudhan has filed a petition urging the Election Commission to establish guidelines that would require lawmakers who resign for political reasons to deposit a certain amount as election expenses when filing their nominations. The petition argues that these resignations disregard the public mandate and that it is crucial to hold by-elections funded by taxpayers.
The petition also calls for legislation to prevent lawmakers who resign for political reasons from contesting elections for a specified period after their resignation. Additionally, it seeks a stay on the by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram until the case is resolved and requests the Election Commission to reject nomination papers from former legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and Satyabama, who are candidates from the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) party.
The case is scheduled for hearing before a bench comprising Justices S.N. Subramaniam and Krishnaswamy Govindarajan.
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