The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by a voter seeking a probe into the financial disclosures made by actor-politician Joseph Vijay in his nomination affidavit filed for contesting from the Perambur constituency in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections [MP Venkatesh Vs Director General of IT].
A Bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice Arul Murugan dismissed the plea filed by Chennai resident MP Venkatesh.
The Court is already seized of another petition filed by a different person alleging discrepancies in two election affidavits filed by Vijay.
In that petition, the High Court had on April 20 issued notice to Election Commission of India and the Income Tax Department after observing that more than ₹100 crores were not disclosed by the actor in his affidavit filed with respect to one of the two constituencies.
That plea is currently pending before the High Court and awaiting responses by the ECI and IT Department.
In the new petition, it was alleged suppression and misrepresentation of material financial particulars in Vijay’s Form 26 affidavit filed for contesting from the Perambur constituency. It sought directions for a preliminary inquiry by authorities including the Income Tax Department, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and the Election Commission of India.
According to the petition, Vijay’s affidavit disclosed high-value financial transactions, including loans running into several crores to family members and entities, while simultaneously declaring zero liabilities. The petitioner argued that such disclosures were contradictory and misleading, undermining the statutory requirement of full and truthful disclosure under election law.
The plea further pointed to specific transactions, including a loan of over ₹12 crore to his spouse and substantial transfers to a trust. The petitioner contended that these lacked adequate explanation regarding their nature and source.
It was argued that incomplete or inaccurate disclosures violate Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and infringe a voter’s fundamental right to make an informed electoral choice under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution
The petitioner sought a time-bound preliminary inquiry and a status report before the polling date.
However, the High Court declined to entertain the plea and dismissed the petition.
Vijay is contesting the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections through his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, marking his electoral debut after launching the outfit in 2024. He is seeking election from two constituencies, Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchi East.