Fit case to be heard, says Madras HC as it dismisses Kanimozhi's plea

The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by DMK MP MK Kanimozhi seeking rejection of a petition challenging her election to the Lok Sabha from Thoothukudi constituency.

Justice SM Subramaniam observed that the election petition moved by Santhanakumar, a voter from the constituency, is a fit case to be heard.

According to the petitioner, Kanimozhi wilfully failed to disclose her husband's income in her nomination and wanted the election to be declared void.

Opposing the plea, Kanimozhi submitted that the petitioner has failed to substantiate his claims and hence his plea is liable to be rejected.

Besides Santhanakumar, Kanimozhi's election was also challenged by former Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundarrajan, who lost the polls. However, subsequent to her appointment as the governor of Telangana, she withdrew her plea.

In her now withdrawn plea, Soundararajan had alleged that Kanimozhi suppressed certain material facts regarding income of her husband and her son in the nomination papers.

Kanimozhi had won by a margin of over 3.47 lakh votes in the April 18 polls.

The court on November 13 allowed Muthuramalingam to substitute as the petitioner in the plea against Kanimozhi's election.