Madras HC Warns CM Vijay, Minister Aadhav Arjuna of ₹50,000 Cost Each Over Delay in Election Petition Pleas

The Madras High Court warned on August 25 that it could impose a cost of ₹50,000 each on Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Minister Aadhav Arjuna for repeatedly seeking adjournments to file applications seeking dismissal of the election petitions filed against their victories in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

Justice V. Lakshminarayanan, hearing the matter, said the court was "not bothered about personalities" and was concerned only with ensuring the election petitions are decided within the statutory six-month period.

Four election petitions have been filed against Vijay — three challenging his win from the Perambur constituency and one challenging his win from the Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) East constituency — while two petitions have been filed against Aadhav Arjuna's victory from the Villivakkam constituency.

After counsel for Vijay and Arjuna assured the court that applications seeking rejection of the petitions would be filed within a day, the court refrained from imposing costs and adjourned the matter to August 27.