HC turns down PIL seeking DMK MP’s name change

Conceding to the election commission submission that the anomaly cited should have been questioned by way of an election petition and that too 45 days after the election results are announced, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy closed the PIL on observing that it is too late. 

Petitioner Ramkumar Adityan contended that the candidate from Chennai South Parliamentary Constituency used the name Tamilachi Thangapandian to write poems, articles and give speeches on religion and literature. 

But her name as per the voter List is T Sumathy. She tried to gain mileage from her name and she furnished her name as T Sumathy @ Tamilachi Thangapandian in the nomination. This is against the provisions of Section 33(4) in the Representation of the People Act, 1951, he said. Hence, the returning officer improperly accepted the nomination of the said MP. It was a defective and incomplete nomination, the petitioner had submitted.