Madras HC to Hear Petition on Disputed MLA's Participation in Trust Vote

K.R. Periyakaruppan, a DMK leader and former Minister, has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court to prevent Seenivasa Sethupathy, a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA, from participating in the trust vote to be held in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on or before May 13, 2026. Periyakaruppan alleges that the votes cast in his Tirupattur constituency were not recounted properly, resulting in his loss by one vote.

The Madras High Court has scheduled an urgent hearing for Sunday, May 10, 2026, to decide on the maintainability of the writ petition. Justices L. Victoria Gowri and N. Senthilkumar will hear the case.

The petition assumes significance in light of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's decision to administer the oath of office to Chief Minister designate C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday, May 10, 2026, conditional on seeking a vote of confidence from the Legislative Assembly by May 13, 2026.

If the court grants an interim order, the TVK MLA may not be able to participate in the vote of confidence, potentially reducing the strength of TVK by one vote in the House. The court will first decide on the maintainability of the writ petition before considering its merits.

The case will resume hearing on a date to be decided by the court, with the judges set to deliver a verdict on the petition's maintainability and potential interim directions.