Court Setback for MK Stalin

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin suffered a setback in the Madras High Court after the court dismissed his petition challenging aspects of the vote counting in the Kolathur constituency. A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan observed that the petition was not maintainable. Stalin secured 74,202 votes in the election, while TVK candidate V.S. Babu won with 82,997 votes.

Stalin had sought an examination of the burnt memory and microcontrollers of the EVMs after raising doubts over the election results. His senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the court that Stalin had noticed some EVMs not functioning during the inspection. He also sought re-verification of 100% of the VVPATs in the constituency to establish the facts. Senior advocates G. Rajagopal and Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, argued that objections regarding the counting process should be addressed through the ECI and that the petition could not be maintained under the Representation of the People Act. After hearing the arguments, the Madras High Court dismissed Stalin’s petition.