Madras High Court adjourns plea over 1-vote victory in Tirupattur assembly result

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Sunday adjourned to May 11 the hearing on a petition filed by former DMK minister K. R. Periyakaruppan, who has sought to prevent the R. Srinivasa Sethupathi from taking oath as a Member of the Legislative Assembly after winning the Tirupattur constituency by a single vote.

The case, heard in a special sitting during the court’s vacation session, was taken up by a bench comprising Justices L Victoria Gowri and N Senthilkumar. After more than three hours of proceedings, the court directed that the matter be listed again on Monday.

The bench also asked the Election Commission to submit an affidavit on May 11, following queries raised during the hearing.

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Periyakaruppan, the DMK candidate for Tirupattur in the April 23 Assembly elections, has challenged the result that declared Sethupathi the winner by just one vote. According to the official count, Sethupathi secured 83,365 votes, while Periyakaruppan received 83,364 votes.

In his petition, the former minister has requested a recount of votes and sought an interim order restraining Sethupathi from being sworn in as an MLA until the dispute is resolved.