Chennai: In a major legal development on the eve of a government floor test, the Madras High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining TVK MLA R Srinivasa Sethupathi from participating in any legislative voting.

Sethupathi, who represents the Tirupattur constituency, won his seat by the narrowest possible margin of a single vote. The court's decision specifically prevents him from voting in the upcoming confidence motion scheduled for the 17th Legislative Assembly.

Key details of the injunction

The order was delivered by a vacation bench consisting of Justices L Victoria Gowri and N Senthilkumar. The ruling comes in response to a petition filed by DMK candidate and former minister K R Periyakaruppan, who narrowly lost the April 23 polls.

Margin: Sethupathi secured 83,365 votes against Periyakaruppan’s 83,364.

Restriction: The MLA is barred from voting in any confidence or no-confidence motions.

Timing: The injunction arrives just one day before the C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government faces its mandatory floor test on Wednesday.

Background of the petition

Periyakaruppan’s legal challenge sought a formal recount of the votes and initially attempted to block Sethupathi from taking the oath of office. While the oath-taking proceeded, the court held a rare special sitting on Sunday to address the urgency of the matter before the assembly convened.

The restriction poses a strategic challenge for the newly sworn-in TVK administration, which is facing its floor test only three days after the Chief Minister and Cabinet took their oaths.

PTI