Madras HC to hear pleas alleging cash for votes promises by DMK, AIADMK candidates

Chennai, April 16 The Madras High Court on Thursday agreed to take up two urgent writ petitions on Friday alleging distribution of cash-linked inducements by candidates of the DMK and the AIADMK ahead of the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan permitted an urgent hearing after submissions by advocate A.P. Suryaprakasam, who has moved the court against several DMK candidates.

The bench also indicated that a separate plea filed by advocate K. Raveendran against an AIADMK candidate would be heard alongside, provided both petitions are numbered by the end of the day.

In his petition, Suryaprakasam alleged that DMK candidates had begun distributing Rs 8,000 coupons to voters, purportedly linked to a manifesto promise aimed at non-income tax-paying homemakers. The promise, he said, was meant to be implemented only if the party came to power. However, the premature distribution of such coupons during the campaign amounted to a direct inducement to voters and undermined the integrity of the electoral process.

Describing the alleged practice as a serious threat to democracy, the petitioner claimed that videos and eyewitness accounts of coupon distribution were widely available in the public domain. He further alleged inaction on the part of election authorities despite a complaint lodged on April 15, and sought directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer to take stringent action, including the arrest of those involved in distributing coupons or cash.

In a separate petition, Raveendran accused AIADMK candidate Royapuram Mano alias R. Manohar, contesting from the Harbour constituency in Chennai, of distributing Rs 10,000 tokens to voters. Filed through senior counsel Nissar Ahmed, the plea stated that these tokens carried QR codes and serial numbers, and scanning them displayed the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol.

The petitioner argued that the tokens were being used to promise post-election monetary benefits, thereby constituting an indirect form of voter bribery and a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. He sought directions to the ECI, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Returning Officer of the Harbour constituency to seize the tokens and initiate appropriate action.

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