Nadigar Sangam told to identify new venue for holding election

Justice Anand Venkatesh before whom the plea moved by Nadigar Sangam Secretary and actor Vishal Krishna seeking to direct the Pattinpakkam police to grant permission and provide security, conceded to the police submission that Dr MGR Janaki College was unsuitable for holding the election as it could end up affecting public movement.

Based on this, the judge directed the association to opt for a different place where public safety is not at stake and inform the court on Wednesday.

Vishal had submitted that former High Court judge E Padmanabhan appointed as election officer for the elections had chosen the college as the venue, but the police, based on a representation given by a rival candidate stating that the venue was not suitable to conduct elections, had written a letter to the college expressing their inability to provide protection. Following this, the college management was unwilling to provide the venue without security, Vishal said.

He noted that though there were over 3,000 eligible voters in the Nadigar Sangam, over 1,000 of them are expected to vote through postal ballot while 1,500 to 2,000 members are expected to vote in the venue and the college could easily accommodate them as well as their cars.