After 10 years, Madras High Court declares Appavu elected from Radhapuram constituency in 2016 Assembly polls

The Madras High Court, connected Wednesday (June 3, 2026), allowed an predetermination petition filed by former Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) successful 2016 and acceptable speech the predetermination of his rival candidate I.S. Inbadurai of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) from Radhapuram Assembly constituency successful Tirunelveli territory that year.

Justice G. Jayachandran declared the predetermination of Mr. Inbadurai by a slender borderline of 49 votes arsenic null and void and ordered that Mr. Appavu indispensable beryllium declared to person won the polls by a borderline of 109 votes. The orders were passed aft recounting the votes. The justice directed the Assembly Secretary to substitute the sanction of Mr. Appavu arsenic the MLA of the constituency betwixt 2016 and 2021.

In 2019, the justice had ordered recounting of the votes polled done postal ballot arsenic good arsenic done 39 physics voting machines (EVMs) taken up for counting during the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st rounds connected May 19, 2016. The bid was passed aft uncovering the Returning Officer to person made a mendacious assertion successful his grounds connected oath with respect to the counting process.

Thereafter, the recounting process began. A full of 1,508 postal votes and implicit 15,700 votes polled successful the 39 EVMs were counted successful the Madras High Court premises. However, the effect of the recounting was not declared owed to an interim enactment bid passed by the Supreme Court pursuing an entreaty preferred by Mr. Inbadurai. After the disposal of the appeal, the High Court proceeded with the proceeding of the predetermination petition and allowed it.