Madras HC orders notices to Aadhav Arjuna, E.V. Velu on petitions challenging their election

The Madras High Court on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) ordered notices to Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna and six other legislators, including Tiruvannamalai DMK MLA E.V. Velu, on a batch of election petitions filed before it.

Mr. Arjuna was ordered notices on two elections petitions, including the one filed by DMK candidate Karthik Mohan, challenging the former’s victory from Villivakkam constituency in this year’s Assembly election. Justice V. Lakshminarayanan directed the petitioner’s counsel to comply with the Ministerial requirements within a week and the registry to issue notices, returnable within three weeks, thereafter. The second election petition had been filed by R. Sivaraj, a voter from the constituency.

Mr. Arjuna had secured 66,445 votes and defeated his nearest rival Mr. Mohan by a margin of 17,302 votes. However, the election petitioner had accused the Minister of having indulged in electoral corrupt practices and, therefore, urged the court to declare his victory as null and void.

“As the proceedings arise under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the matter should be disposed of as expeditiously as possible, preferably within a period of six months. Hence, in addition to the notice issued by this court, the petitioners are granted permission to take private notice to the respondents,” the judge wrote.

Tiruvannamalai DMK MLA E.V. Velu
| Photo Credit:
C. VENKATACHALAPATHY

Similarly, Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy too ordered notices to Perundurai AIADMK MLA S. Jayakumar, Colachal Congress MLA Tharahai Cuthbert, Uthangarai TVK MLA N. Elaiyaraja, Salem North TVK MLA V. Sivakumar, Tiruvannamalai DMK MLA E.V. Velu, and Sirkazhi DMK MLA R. Senthilselvan.

The election petitions against the six legislators had been filed by their rival candidates Thoppu Venkatachalam alias N.D. Venkatachalam of the DMK, S.M. Anthony Muthu of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, individual voter C. Geetha, R. Rajendran of the DMK, Arul Arumugam of the TVK, and voter S. Vasu respectively.