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ECI De-Registration Case 2026
February 21 , 2026
13 hrs 0 min
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- The Madras High Court refused to grant interim relief to political parties de-registered by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
- The ECI de-registered parties that had not contested Legislative Assembly or Parliamentary elections in the last six years.
- Parties such as Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi filed writ petitions challenging the de-registration orders.
- The Court said granting a stay would allow the parties to contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
- The petitioners argued that Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, provides only for registration and not de-registration of political parties.
- They contended that Section 21 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 cannot be invoked to de-register parties and relied on the Supreme Court judgement in Indian National Congress vs Institute of Social Welfare (2002).
- In the 2002 judgement, the Supreme Court held that de-registration is permitted only in extreme cases such as fraud, forgery or loss of allegiance to the Constitution and its principles like socialism and secularism.
- The ECI stated that the 2002 judgement was delivered before it issued detailed guidelines in 2014 under Article 324 of the Constitution, requiring political parties to contest elections at least once in a six-year block period.
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