Plea against Stalin's poll papers withdrawn, as Madras High Court sees no prima facie case

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed as withdrawn a plea seeking an Election Commission inquiry against former Chief Minister MK Stalin after the petitioner sought to withdraw the case.

The petition, filed by Advocate T Sivagnanasambandan, sought a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to inquire into allegations that MK Stalin suppressed material information in the statutory affidavit accompanying his nomination papers.

According to the plea, verification of public documents revealed that MK Stalin, in his capacity as permanent trustee and managing trustee of the DMK Charitable Trust, had acquired an immovable property at Kadambadi Village for Rs 2.27 crore through a registered document. The petitioner alleged that the trusteeship and related particulars were not disclosed in the election affidavit, contending that such concealment undermines free and fair elections and deprives the electorate of its constitutional right to make an informed electoral choice.

The petitioner further submitted that representations dated May 12, 2026, along with documentary evidence seeking an inquiry, were submitted to the Election Commission, but no action had been taken. He therefore sought a direction to the Commission to consider the representations and conduct an inquiry into the alleged suppression and non-disclosure of the trusteeship.

When the matter came up for hearing, the Bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan orally observed that no prima facie material had been placed to show that the assets were not disclosed in accordance with law or that relevant documents had been withheld.

The petitioner then sought permission to withdraw the plea after the Bench expressed its disinclination to direct the Election Commission of India to conduct an inquiry into the representation. The Bench dismissed the petition as withdrawn while granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority in accordance with law.