The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed three public interest litigation petitions which sought to change the date of polling in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections, from April 18 to some other date since it coincided with Maundy Thursday as well as Madurai’s famous Chithirai festival. A batch of Public Interest Litigations (PIL) were filed in the MHC seeking to reschedule polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 18 as it coincided with Maundy Thursday and the popular Chithirai Festival.
When the case came up for hearing, the Election Commission told the court it extended the polling duration by two hours in Madurai constituency due to the Chithirai Festival and it they cannot change the election dates for the constituency as doing so would hamper the election process. Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar dismissed the petition after the Election Commission submitted that it has extended the voting time in Madurai constituency by two hours.
Parliamentary polls are scheduled to be held in Tamil Nadu on April 18 in a single phase. The court agreed with the EC’s view and explanation and dismissed the petition filed by a Madurai-based advocate. With this, the suspense over conduct of polls in Madurai has ended.
