Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking a directive to the Election Commission of India (ECI) requiring candidates contesting from two constituencies to submit an undertaking to reimburse election expenses if they resign from one seat.
The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, passed the order on a plea filed by Mani from Melur in Madurai. The petitioner argued that during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, some candidates contest from two constituencies. If they win both, they must resign from one, necessitating a by-election and incurring government expenditure.
Therefore, the petitioner requested that such candidates be mandated to provide an undertaking agreeing to bear the election expenses of the constituency they vacate.
When the petition came up for hearing, the high court bench noted that the law permits candidates to contest from two constituencies. It also observed that a challenge to this legal provision had already been dismissed by the Supreme Court. Consequently, the bench dismissed the petition.
