The Supreme Court was considering an appeal filed by Palaniswami, challenging the decision of the Madras High Court. The High Court had dismissed Palaniswami’s petition to challenge a 2023 order from a judicial magistrate.
NEW DELHI: On Monday, the Supreme Court temporarily stayed the criminal proceedings against Tamil Nadu Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami. The case involved allegations that Palaniswami had submitted false information about his wealth and education in his election affidavit for the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing the matter and directed the State of Tamil Nadu to respond. The Court ordered that the criminal case, which had led to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) in 2024, be put on hold.
The judges stated, “Issue Notice and further proceedings in First Information Report (FIR) 15 of 2024 shall remain stayed.”
The Supreme Court was considering an appeal filed by Palaniswami, challenging the decision of the Madras High Court. The High Court had dismissed Palaniswami’s petition to challenge a 2023 order from a judicial magistrate. This order had instructed the police to investigate the allegations of false information in his election affidavit, particularly regarding his claims about his wealth and education.
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The Madras High Court had further directed Palaniswami to cooperate with the police investigation, urging him to ensure that the matter was investigated thoroughly and reached its logical conclusion. The High Court’s ruling led Palaniswami to file an appeal before the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the ongoing proceedings.
In this case, the key quote from the Supreme Court bench was, “Issue Notice and further proceedings in First Information Report (FIR) 15 of 2024 shall remain stayed.”
This statement clarified that the criminal proceedings against Palaniswami would be paused pending further action.
