Plea In Madras High Court Seeks Inquiry Into Alleged Non-Disclosure Of Assets By DMK Chief MK Stalin In 2026 Election Affidavit
A plea has been filed before the Madras High Court seeking directions to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, to inquire into alleged discrepancies in the election affidavit filed by former Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin, during the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
When the matter came up before a bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Monday, the Court noted that the petitioner had failed to file a proper English translation of Stalin's Form 26 affidavit.
Form 26 is the statutory affidavit accompanying a candidate's nomination papers, requiring disclosure of assets, liabilities, beneficial interests, criminal antecedents and other material particulars.
The Court has directed the petitioner to place on record a proper English translation of Form 26, Stalin's nomination papers and other relevant documents, and adjourned the matter by two days.
Questioning the maintainability of the plea in the absence of supporting material, the Court orally observed:
"You're making allegations against a returned candidate who has lost. What is the material available in this petition for convincing us to issue a direction for conducting an enquiry?... If this is not the correct translation, then why should we hear this? Without any material, we can't issue notice."
Senior Advocate P. Wilson, appearing for Stalin, submitted that a candidate is not required to disclose details of all trust properties in Form 26. Agreeing that the relevant documents must first be placed on record, the Court directed the petitioner to file complete documents along with accurate translations.
The petition has been filed by T. Sivagnanasambandan, political advisor to the Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi (DMSK), who had also contested the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from the Kolathur constituency, from where Stalin contested. The seat was ultimately won by V.S. Babu of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
According to the petitioner, Stalin failed to disclose property valued at ₹2.27 crore allegedly held by him in his capacity as Permanent Trustee and Managing Trustee of the DMK Charitable Trust in the Form 26 affidavit submitted along with his nomination papers.
The plea contends that the statutory affidavit is intended to ensure transparency and integrity in the electoral process by requiring every contesting candidate to disclose all movable and immovable assets, liabilities, beneficial interests, trusteeships, financial interests and other material particulars, thereby enabling voters to make an informed choice.
It is further alleged that the omission of these details undermines free and fair elections and deprives the electorate of its constitutional right to know the complete antecedents of a candidate.
The petitioner also submits that despite representations made to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer, along with supporting material alleging suppression of material particulars, no inquiry was initiated and no orders were passed. Alleging that such inaction is arbitrary and violative of the provisions of the Representation of the People Act and Articles 14 and 324 of the Constitution, the petitioner has sought directions to the authorities to consider his representations, conduct an inquiry into the alleged suppression and non-disclosure, and take appropriate action in accordance with law.
Case Title: T Sivagnanasambandan v The Chief Election Commissioner
Case No: WP 28881 of 2026