A petition challenging Tamil Nadu Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan’s victory from the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency has reached the Supreme Court after the Madras High Court dismissed the election challenge.
The appeal was filed by Prabhu, the AIADMK candidate, against Sengottaiyan’s win in the Assembly election held in April. Sengottaiyan contested on behalf of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and later assumed office as a minister.
When the matter came up before a bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva, Justice Sanjay Kumar announced that he would recuse himself from hearing the case on ethical grounds.
Explaining his decision, the judge referred to an earlier Tamil Nadu-related case in which he had questioned repeated requests for adjournment by the government counsel. He said his remark was portrayed on social media as praise for the Chief Minister, and therefore he felt it would not be appropriate for him to hear a case involving a person from the same party.
Following the recusal, the case was recommended to be listed before another bench.
