Madras HC rejects TN minister's plea for removal of charges in election petition

The Madras High Court Friday rejected a plea by Tamil Nadu Education Minister K Pandiarajan seeking to delete allegations made against him in a petition by a DMK nominee whom he had defeated in the 2016 assembly polls.

Justice M V Muralidharan held that the minister was not right in seeking deletion of the paragraphs in the election petition.

S M Nasar, who lost to Pandiarajan in Avadai constituency in the May, 2016 polls, has moved the court challenging the election on grounds of alleged corrupt practices and bribing of voters by the winner.

However, the Judge made it clear that his views were only prima facie and he had not gone into the merits of the allegations levelled in the election petition.

He then posted the matter for further hearing on November 16.