Madras High Court to Rule on Petition Seeking Halt to Tamil Nadu By-elections

Chennai, September 23 (Daily Kiran) : The Madras High Court in Chennai will deliver its ruling on a public interest petition seeking to halt by-elections for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly seats. The petition argues that a system should be established to recover election expenses from legislators who resign shortly after winning elections for political reasons and subsequently contest again.

Filed by K. Suthan, a lawyer from Saidapet in Chennai, the petition requests the Election Commission to create a procedure that holds these legislators accountable for their election costs. It also calls for a security deposit for election expenses when former legislators file their nominations for by-elections.

During previous hearings, the petitioner contended that certain legislators resign without valid reasons shortly after their electoral victories, only to contest again under different political party tickets. This practice necessitates additional elections, placing an unnecessary burden on the public treasury. The petition seeks to hold these resigning legislators responsible for the costs incurred during the by-elections.

The case involves former AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Satyabhama, both of whom resigned from their positions and joined the ruling TVK party. They are now the party candidates for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies, respectively.

The petitioner has pointed out that there are currently no legal provisions to recover such election costs from legislators. The court has the authority to issue necessary directives, and it was noted that without legal amendments, similar situations may arise in the future.

After hearing the arguments, the bench, led by the Chief Justice, reserved its judgment. The Madras High Court is expected to announce its decision on September 24.