Though the Madras High Court on Monday refused to stay the counting of votes polled in Coimbatore Municipal Corporation while hearing a petition that alleged rampant distribution of cash for votes, the certificates issued to winners on Tuesday came with a mention of the plea.
The certificates said that they were “subject to the outcome of WP No: 3937/2022 in the High Court of Madras”.
The petition filed by V. Eswaran, who quit the post of MDMK’s State youth wing secretary and founded Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, alleged large-scale bribing of voters in the polls held for 100 wards of Coimbatore Corporation.
He prayed the Court to stay the counting, cancel the election and form a committee headed by a judge of the High Court to probe distribution of cash for votes.
The first bench of Chief Justice M. N. Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy on Monday refused to stay the counting of votes and cancel the election. It ordered that the election of the successful candidates would be subject to the outcome of the petition.
Mr. Eswaran told The Hindu that winning the election by bribing voters was not the real victory, but a mockery at the democracy and at people.
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