The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned the basis of petitions seeking to set aside Chief Minister Vijay’s victory from Chennai’s Perambur Assembly constituency. The court asked whether an allegation of hiding assets worth about Rs 30 crore could, by itself, render the election result void when the candidate had already disclosed assets exceeding Rs 600 crore.
Vijay, the leader of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won the Perambur seat by a margin of 53,715 votes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. His win has been challenged through election petitions filed by DMK candidate R.D. Sekar and voters Dinesh and Lakshmi Narasimman.
The matter is being heard by Justice V. Lakshminarayanan. Vijay’s side sought dismissal of the petitions, arguing that the nomination contained details of assets and income-tax information relating to him and his wife, and that the allegations were baseless and built on assumptions. Counsel submitted that even if minor errors existed, they would not make the acceptance of the nomination invalid.
On behalf of petitioner Dinesh, it was argued that Vijay had failed to disclose a property in Panruti valued at around Rs 30 crore, and that documents including survey details and sale deeds had been produced before the court. The petitioner also pointed to a declaration about purchasing 50 cents of land at Vilpatti, Kodaikanal, claiming revenue records showed it to be government poramboke land.
Intervening during arguments, the judge observed that candidates often rely on auditors for asset disclosures and questioned whether an auditor’s mistake could be used to invalidate the victory of a first-time contestant who became Chief Minister. The case was adjourned for further hearing on Wednesday.
