Chennai High Court dismisses Stalin's Kolathur election petition

The Chennai High Court dismissed a petition filed by former Chief Minister and DMK leader M.K. Stalin challenging the election victory of TVK candidate V.S. Babu in the Kolathur constituency. The court ruled the petition was not maintainable. Stalin had contested the April assembly election from Kolathur and lost to Babu by 8,795 votes, with Babu receiving 82,997 votes against Stalin's 74,202. Stalin's petition centered on delays in verifying Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and alleged technical irregularities during the verification process. The Election Commission had argued that election results must be challenged through an election petition under the Representation of the People Act within a specified timeframe. The court agreed, stating that a writ petition was not the appropriate legal remedy for this case.