Plea seeking probe into Vijay's election affidavit disclosures dismissed
What's the story
The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition seeking an income tax investigation into alleged discrepancies in Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's election affidavits. The bench, headed by Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, rejected the plea on Wednesday, saying the court had earlier dismissed similar petitions. The petitioner, V Vignesh from Chennai, had alleged inconsistencies in Vijay's asset declarations for Trichy (East) and Perambur constituencies.
Affidavit inconsistencies
Petitioner points out major discrepancy in affidavits
Vignesh had pointed out a major discrepancy between the two affidavits. He said Vijay declared assets worth ₹115,13,63,000 before the Perambur Returning Officer but declared ₹220,15,62,010 before the Trichy officer. The petitioner argued that this difference is neither explained nor supported by documents. He alleged that such a huge difference points toward suppression of assets and raises questions about beneficial ownership and routing of funds.
Investigation plea
Discrepancies can't be mere clerical errors: Petitioner
Vignesh contended that the discrepancies cannot be mere clerical errors or approximations. He argued that they imply one of the affidavits is false or corporate filings are incorrect, necessitating an investigation. The petitioner sought a probe into Vijay's assets and submit a report before the returning officers of both constituencies. The petitioner also demanded that such a report be published to the general public on or before the date of the polls in the state (April 23).