The Madras High Court has declared invalid the victory of AIADMK candidate Inbadurai in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Radhapuram constituency.
DMK leader and former Speaker Appavu, who contested from Radhapuram in 2016, had challenged the result in the High Court after Inbadurai was declared the winner.
Appavu’s side argued that around 300 postal ballots were rejected during counting due to an issue related to the headmaster’s signature. During the proceedings, the High Court ordered that the postal ballots be produced and recounted, and also directed that the voting machines for the last three rounds be handed over.
Inbadurai approached the Supreme Court against this direction. The Supreme Court disposed of the appeal and asked the High Court to pass appropriate orders in the pending case.
Delivering the verdict, Justice Jayachandran said that while the Election Commission had declared Inbadurai the winner by a margin of 104 votes, it has been established that Appavu actually won by the same margin. The court clarified that the ruling does not amount to disqualification, and that Inbadurai cannot claim MLA pension for five years. Appavu said the court had provided relief and that Inbadurai’s name would be removed from official records, including Secretariat documents.
