Chennai, September 24 (Udaipur Kiran) : The Madras High Court in Chennai is set to deliver its verdict on a public interest petition that seeks to halt by-elections in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly constituencies. The petition argues that a mechanism should be established to recover election expenses from legislators who resign shortly after winning, only to contest again due to political reasons.
Filed by advocate K. Suthan from Saidapet, the petition calls for the Election Commission to create a procedure that holds former legislators accountable for election costs when they resign and subsequently run in by-elections. It also requests that a ‘security deposit for election expenses’ be collected from these candidates at the time of filing their nominations for the by-elections.
In previous hearings, the petitioner contended that certain legislators are resigning soon after their victories without valid reasons, only to contest again under different party tickets. This practice has led to unnecessary re-elections, placing an additional financial burden on the state treasury. The petition specifically references former AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Satyabhama, who resigned to join the ruling TVK party and are now contesting from their former constituencies.
Currently, there is no legal provision to recoup election costs from such resigning legislators, prompting the court to consider issuing appropriate directives. The Chief Justice’s bench has reserved its judgment, with a decision expected on September 24.
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