CHENNAI: A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court questioning the validity of the action of the Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa in affixing her thumb impression on documents pertaining to party candidates for the November Assembly elections.
In the petition, Traffic KR Ramaswamy sought to declare the attestation made by the ailing Chief Minister with her LTI ((left thumb impression) in the presence of doctors of Apollo hospitals as illegal and ultra vires the Constitution.
He contended that the action of affixing thumb impression was a very serious issue, violating the election code of conduct. Three AIADMK candidates, V Senthil Balaji contesting from Aravakurichi, M Rangaswamy from Thanjavur and AK Bose from Thiruparakundram had filed their nominations with the attestation of their party leader Jayalalithaa’s thumb impression instead of her signature.
Thumb impression is allowed only in case wherein the signatory is bereft of basic education and is an illiterate. In the case of sick and disabled persons, there is a separate rule under the conduct of election rules. The issue raised a lot of questions that needed urgent attention.
It is imperative that thumb impression, if permitted on health grounds, be affixed only in the presence of Chief Election Commissioner or his immediate subordinate in the State, he said.