Vijay’s Rs 30 Crore Asset Row.. What Did the Madras High Court Say?

The Madras High Court is hearing an election petition challenging Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s victory from the Perambur Assembly constituency. The petitioner has alleged discrepancies in Vijay’s election affidavit and claimed that details of a property worth around Rs 30 crore in Panruti were not disclosed. Vijay, however, had declared assets worth around Rs 600 crore in his affidavit.

During the hearing, Justice V. Lakshminarayanan questioned whether the alleged non-disclosure of Rs 30 crore in assets could amount to a corrupt practice when Vijay had already disclosed assets worth around Rs 600 crore. The court also questioned whether such an omission would have influenced voters and whether an error by a Chartered Accountant could be sufficient to invalidate an election. The court’s observations were made during the hearing and do not constitute a final decision on the petition. Further arguments are scheduled to continue.