The Madras High Court on Monday issued notices on a petition alleging inconsistencies in the assets declared by Joseph Vijay, chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
During the hearing, the court orally observed that there appeared to be an irregularity in the disclosures, noting that over Rs 100 crore was not reflected in one of the affidavits filed for a constituency.
A bench led by Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan directed notices to Vijay, the Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), the Election Commission of India, and the Returning Officers for the Perambur and Trichy (East) constituencies. The matter has been posted for further hearing next week.
The plea was filed by V Vignesh, a Chennai-based petitioner, who alleged that the affidavits submitted by Vijay in the two constituencies show multiple layers of inconsistencies. According to the petition, these discrepancies raise serious concerns and make out a prima facie case for investigation by the Director General of Income Tax (Investigation).
As per the petition, Vijay declared assets worth Rs 115,13,63,000 before the Returning Officer in the Perambur constituency. However, in the affidavit submitted to the Returning Officer in Trichy (East), he disclosed assets amounting to Rs 220,15,62,010. The petitioner argued that this sharp difference has not been explained or supported by any documents.
The plea further claimed that the apparent disappearance of high-value assets suggests possible suppression of assets and raises questions about beneficial ownership, routing of funds, and concealment of material particulars. It stated that such discrepancies cannot be attributed to clerical errors or approximations, indicating that either one of the affidavits is incorrect or the corporate filings are flawed.
The petitioner has sought a detailed probe into the asset declarations and requested that a report be submitted before the Returning Officers of both constituencies. It has also urged that the findings be made public before the polling date on 23 April, so that voters can make an informed decision.
