Activist Traffic K Ramaswamy has filed a petition before the Madras High Court challenging the validity of the thumb impression by Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa on the nomination papers of three AIADMK candidates for the November 19 by-polls.
In the nomination papers filed by Senthil Balaji in Aravakurichi constituency, M Ramaswamy in Thanjavur and AK Bose in Thirupukundram, the attestation by Jayalalithaa, as Party Head, was given with her Left Thumb Impression rather than her signature.
The thumb impression was reportedly made in the presence of doctors of Apollo Hospital, and had been done because Jayalalithaa’s right hand was inflamed at the time.
In his petition, Ramaswamy has contended that a thumb impression is a valid form of attestation only in the case of persons who are illiterate or bereft of education. In case of thumb impression on health grounds, he stated, a separate procedure had to be followed, with the CEC or his immediate subordinates required to be present at the time the impression is made.
Stating that there is no clear information on the health status of the Chief Minister, and on whether she was in a condition to properly record her consent on the nomination papers, the petition also argues that the doctors who have attested her LTI are not gazetted officers and hence do not have the locus standi to validate the thumb impression.
It also argued that as there is apprehension of the validity of the thumb impression, it should be given in the presence of a senior election officer or judicial or law enforcement official, and also videographed for proof.