Madras High Court Warns CM Vijay, Minister Aadhav Arjuna Over Election Petitions
Chennai, August 25, 2026: The Madras High Court has given Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Minister Aadhav Arjuna a final deadline of August 27 to file applications seeking dismissal of election petitions challenging their electoral victories. The court warned that failure to comply could result in a ₹50,000 penalty on each of them.
The matter was heard by Justice V. Lakshminarayanan on Tuesday. Counsel appearing for Vijay sought two weeks’ additional time to file the applications. A similar request was made on behalf of Aadhav Arjuna. However, the judge declined to grant the requested extension and allowed only two more days, until August 27.
The court stressed that it was concerned with ensuring the timely disposal of election cases rather than the status or identity of the individuals involved. Justice Lakshminarayanan pointed out that election petitions are required to be dealt with within six months, referring to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
Election petitions against Vijay
Several election petitions have been filed challenging Vijay’s victories in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Petitions have challenged his election from Perambur, while another petition concerns his victory from Tiruchirappalli East. DMK candidate R.D. Sekar, along with voters Dinesh and Lakshmi Narasimman, are among those who approached the High Court regarding the Perambur election. DMK candidate Inigo Irudayaraj separately challenged Vijay’s election from Tiruchirappalli East.
Petitions against Aadhav Arjuna
Aadhav Arjuna is also facing election petitions challenging his victory from the Villivakkam Assembly constituency. The petitions include challenges filed by defeated DMK candidate Karthik Mohan and voter R. Sivaraj. Arjuna had won the Villivakkam seat by a margin of 17,302 votes, securing 66,445 votes against Karthik Mohan’s 49,143 votes.
Applications were reportedly ready
During Tuesday’s hearing, the lawyers representing Vijay and Arjuna informed the court that the applications seeking rejection of the election petitions were ready, but obtaining the required signatures had been delayed because of the ongoing Assembly session. They assured the court that the applications would be filed within two days and requested that no costs be imposed.
The court accepted the assurance for the time being and refrained from imposing the penalty immediately. However, it made clear that August 27 is the deadline and warned that failure to file the applications within the stipulated time could lead to a ₹50,000 penalty each. The cases have been adjourned to August 27.
The High Court’s firm stance comes amid its emphasis on the speedy disposal of election disputes. Earlier, the court had also issued notices in petitions challenging the election victories of Vijay and Aadhav Arjuna and stressed that such matters should be resolved within the prescribed timeframe.