The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : State poll panel order stayed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 25, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

State poll panel order stayed

Special Correspondent

Ariyappan was disqualified for not submitting true copy of poll expenses

CHENNAI : The Madras High Court has stayed a State Election Commission order disqualifying an October 2001 local body polls candidate, along with several others, for his failure to submit a true copy of poll expenses to the District Election Officer.

Justice A. Kulasekaran granted the interim relief to D.M. Ariyappan who had unsuccessfully contested the Kelamangalam Panchayat Union poll in 2001. Claiming he had submitted poll expenses to Salem District Election Officer within 30 days of the last civic polls, the petitioner said the order had been passed to prevent him from contesting the coming polls.

The petitioner said by an order dated February 11, 2004 the Commission disqualified 478 candidates on the ground that they had not submitted their accounts of election expenses and not offered explanations for the show-cause notices. He said it came to his notice only on July 31, 2006, as neither the impugned order nor the show-cause notice was served on him.

The disqualification proceeding had been initiated without justification, he said adding it was also discriminatory since disqualification orders had been passed only against candidates who did not belong to the ruling party.

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