Madras HC bins plea seeking I-T probe against AIADMK’s Palaniswami

Chennai: Madras high court has dismissed a plea seeking a probe by income tax department against former chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for suppressing material facts about his wealth in his election affidavit filed during the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election.

Concurring with the submission of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan that such issues can be dealt with only through an election petition, the bench dismissed the plea moved by Sakthivel Perumal.

The petitioner, a voter from the Edappadi constitution alleged that Palaniswami failed to disclose complete details of his assets and income in his nomination papers. He contended that a comparison of the affidavits filed by Palaniswami in 2021 and 2026 revealed several discrepancies and that material information had been suppressed.