BJP’s Tamilisai Moves HC Against Kanimozhi’s Victory In LS Polls

BJP Tamil Nadu State President and candidate in Lok Sabha Election 2019 from Thoothukudi, Tamilisai Soundarajan has filed a petition in the Madras High Court challenging Kanimozhi’s election as the MP of the constituency. She alleged in her petition that Kanimozhi filed four nominations on March 25, 2019 to contest the election, all of which had discrepancies. She urged court’s intervention in declaring her victory void as the petition stated that Kanimozhi reserved information regarding her PAN Number and the details of income tax returns of her husband K Aravindhan and son Adithyan.

Tamilisai, who has contested for MLA and MP elections four times cumulatively in the past without success, claimed the in Kanimozhi’s affidavit, she said that she is enrolled as a voter from in Chepauk- Triplicane legislative assembly constituency in one place and in another place it is written as Thoothukudi in the same affidavit.

On the matter of her PAN information and the Income Tax details of her son and husband, the plea alleged “deliberate suppression of information” by Kanimozhi about their PAN numbers and their incomes from the last five years are declared “not applicable.” It argues that Kanimozhi should have mentioned their NRI numbers on the affidavit and the Income tax details according to their Singapore documents.

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“The Petitioner (Tamilisai) submits that by wilfully failing to submit information with regard to the tax status of her husband and son in Singapore and the income received by them, the First Respondent (Kanimozhi) has filed a false affidavit which materially affects the result of the election and consequently the failure of the returning officer in accepting the nomination of the First Respondent is improper and he ought to have rejected the same,” the petition stated, TNM reported.

It further pointed that her son Adithyan has invested a large sum of money in banks in India and Singapore. “In such circumstances it is inconceivable that the said Aravindhan does not have a PAN number or has not filed income tax returns in India. In such circumstances, there is “deliberate suppression of information” by the First Respondent with regard to the PAN number as well as the status of income tax returns of Mr. Adithyan,” the petition read.

Tamilisai also accused Kanimozhi’s political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of corrupt activities during the election campaign as she alleged that members of DMK bribed the voters. She contended that Kanimozhi along with the local DMK legislator Anitha Radhakrishnan campaigned in Umarikadu village on March 25, when money was given to the women who performed 'aarathi' for Kanimozhi. The petition stated that Rs 2000 were given to every woman who performed the ritual for the MP.

On the matter of her PAN information and the Income Tax details of her son and husband, the plea alleged “deliberate suppression of information” by Kanimozhi about their PAN numbers and their incomes from the last five years are declared “not applicable”

Reportedly, an FIR was filed against Anitha Radhakrishnan, Kanimozhi and six others in the case of corruption during the election.

While Tamilisai noted that the bribing was captured by television news channels and are also on various YouTube channels, TNM reported that these videos have been doing the rounds from before the election dates were even declared so they don’t fall within the ambit of the petition.

Picture Credit- Deccan Chronicle