Two Supreme Court judges withdrew from delivering the verdict in the 2011 Kolathur election dispute case involving DMK leader M.K. Stalin and AIADMK leader Saidai S. Duraisamy.
Supreme Court Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi recused themselves from the case on 15 May 2026.
The case relates to allegations of “corrupt practices” during the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly election in the Kolathur constituency in Chennai.
AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader Saidai S. Duraisamy accused DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader M.K. Stalin of influencing voters using money and gifts.
The appeal had been pending in the Supreme Court since 2017 and was reserved for judgment on 19 February 2026 after detailed hearings.
The judges ordered that the matter be reheard before another Bench in which neither of them would be members.
The Madras High Court had dismissed the allegations in 2017 due to a lack of conclusive evidence and the absence of a valid digital evidence certification under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act.
A charge of corrupt practice, including bribery of electors to vote in favour of a candidate comes under Section 123 of the 1951 Act.