Overview
- The Madras High Court on Tuesday admitted a batch of election petitions against Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna and issued notices after identifying formal defects in some filings.
- Four petitions target Vijay’s Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East wins and two target Arjuna’s Villivakkam victory, with the court directing petitioners to cure defects within one week before notices are formally issued.
- The judge allowed private notice in addition to court notice, made the notices returnable in three weeks, and emphasized that the election petitions should be disposed of within six months.
- Petitioners allege specific misconduct including suppression of pending-case information, failure to disclose election expenses, and unlawful use of minors in campaigning, citing Vijay’s April 21 speech and the Election Commission’s February 5, 2024 direction on children in campaigns.
- Filing these petitions does not remove either office-holder from their posts under the Representation of the People Act and one petitioner has also sought a stay on the Trichy East by-election, a move that could affect the timing of that contest and wider political calculations for the ruling alliance.