Madras High Court restrains Election Commission from notifying byelections in five constituencies in Tamil Nadu
The Madras High Court has issued an interim order preventing the Election Commission of India from holding byelections in five Tamil Nadu constituencies. The court ruled that elections cannot proceed while legal petitions challenging the previous election results are still pending.
Why it matters
This decision clarifies the legal boundaries regarding election vacancies and ensures that judicial processes take precedence over administrative election scheduling.
The Madras High Court on Friday (July 10, 2026) restrained the Election Commission of India (ECI) from notifying byelections to Tiruchi East , Perundurai , Ambasamudram , Viralimalai , and Karur Assembly constituencies until July 31 because, though the elected representatives of these constituencies had resigned, their victories had been challenged by way of election petitions before the court.
Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan passed the interim order following a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by K. Venkatachalapathy of Tirunelveli who contended that conduct of byelection before the disposal of election petitions could lead to an anomalous situation of the constituencies being represented by two individuals, if the petitions get allowed.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in