Vijaykant`s election upheld

Chennai: Madras High Court on Friday upheld DMDK founder and actor Vijayakant`s election from Rishivandiyam constituency in Villupuram District in 2011 Assembly elections. Dismissing an election petition by an independent candidate whose nomination was rejected, Justice K Venkataraman said the nomination paper filed by the election petitioner was non-est in law and not a valid one as per Section 33 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

M Jayanthi had prayed the court to declare the Returning Officer’s order of March 28, 2011, rejecting her nomination as improper and wanted to set aside the election of Vijayakant. Her nomination was rejected on the ground that the proposers signatures and names were not clearly mentioned. She had sought two days time to file to address the defects and said her nomination should not be rejected, but in vain. Had her nomination been accepted, she would have won the election, she contended. The judge said that it was clear that Jayanthi had not presented her nomination papers as per the requirement under Clause (1) of Section 33 of the RPA. The Returning Officer had rightly rejected the papers, which did not call for any court interference, the judge held. PTI