Supreme Court Refuses Plea To Expedite Election Petitions' Hearings In Madras High Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a writ petition seeking directions to the Madras High Court to expedite the hearings of election petitions and decide them within a timeline.

Granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the High Court for suitable directions, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana dismissed the petition as withdrawn.

Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu informed the bench that at least 54 election petitions have been filed in the High Court concerning the 2026 assembly polls. One petition concerns a victory by a margin of a single vote, Naidu highlighted.

He also referred to the mandate under Section 86(7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as per which election petitions are to be decided within a period of six months.

However, the bench observed that passing such a direction will set a bad precedent.

Recently, the Madras High Court, while declaring a candidate as the winner ten years after the election, had criticised the Supreme Court for causing a delay in the decision by staying the High Court proceedings for years.

Case :  K. VENKATACHALAPATHY Vs HIGH COURT OF MADRAS | W.P.(C) No. 796/2026