HC allows counting in Kovai, says results subject to final order

The Madras High Court on Monday observed that the election result for Coimbatore City Corporation is subject to the disposal of a petition alleging that all the parties have distributed cash to lure the voters in the recently held urban civic polls.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the interim injunction on hearing a petition moved by Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, represented by its secretary V Eswaran.

The petitioner sought a direction to cancel the civic elections held in the Coimbatore Corporation and form a committee headed by a retired judge of Madras HC to probe into several illegalities relating to distribution of cash, jewels, anklets, sarees and hotbox to lure voters.

“The ruling party and major opposition party AIADMK are seeing the winning in Coimbatore Corporation elections as matter of prestige and have fielded their experts to make political manoeuvring. They started distribution of cash, anklets, sarees and hotboxes to the voters to lure them. Likewise, independent and other political parties started luring the voters,” the petitioner submitted. He further stated that bribing voters is an offence under 171 B of IPC and 123 of the Representation of People Act.

On recording the submissions, the bench issued notice to the SEC to file their response explaining the action taken by the SEC on a representation by the petitioner. The judges also said that the counting process shall go on, but the election result for the Coimbatore City corporation is subject to the disposal of this case. The judges adjourned the matter for two weeks.

In another case related to the local body elections, an AIADMK functionary named Pon Sakthivel from Tiruthangal Municipality of Virudhunagar district had approached the Madras HC seeking direction to Central government officers as observers on the counting day. However, the first bench dismissed the plea.