NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the appeal filed by AIADMK leader Saidai Duraisamy against a Madras High Court decision that had dismissed his election petition against CM and DMK leader M K Stalin over indulging in alleged corrupt practices in the 2011 Assembly election from Kolathur constituency.
“We are reserving the verdict,” said a division bench of the apex court comprising Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi.
The case, which had been pending for many years in the top court, was being heard continuously before the bench presided by Justice Maheshwari for the past few days. Before reserving the verdict, the SC heard the detailed submissions and arguments from the counsel representing Duraisamy (appellant), and Stalin and others.
Duraisamy had contested the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Kolathur constituency, but he lost to Stalin by a margin of 2,739 votes. Following his defeat, he filed an election petition before the Madras HC alleging activities (by the DMK leader and the party) that amounted to corrupt practice under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Observing that there was no merit in Duraisamy’s petition, the HC in 2017 dismissed his plea which then forced him to move the SC for relief. In his appeal, Duraisamy alleged that Stalin and the DMK had engaged in irregularities by distributing money and gifts to voters and using government officials for his election work.