Supreme Court rejects plea on Tamil Nadu trust vote horse-trading claims

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a petition seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities and horse-trading during the May 13 trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, observing that the accusations lacked supporting evidence and could not be entertained.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana dismissed the plea, stating that it was "based upon vague, wild and casual allegations without any reliable material on record to substantiate the claims". The court noted that there was no credible evidence placed before it to justify ordering an inquiry.

The petition had sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged political misconduct surrounding the trust vote. It also requested the imposition of President's Rule in Tamil Nadu until the completion of the proposed investigation.

The trust vote was held after actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay assumed office as Chief Minister on May 10. His Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government secured victory in the Assembly through support from 25 rebel AIADMK legislators. During the proceedings, the DMK staged a walkout.

Representing petitioner KK Ramesh, advocate CR Jaya Sukin argued before the court that the matter involved broader concerns over the functioning of democratic institutions. According to him, political practices seen in several states reflected an erosion of democratic standards.

"In this country, every ruling party is destroying democratic institutions," Sukin submitted. He further claimed that lawmakers in different states had allegedly been moved using chartered flights and resigned before aligning with rival political formations.

The advocate also alleged that legislators were being influenced through monetary inducements or intimidation, including threats of imprisonment, to defect from their parties. The plea contended that the Tamil Nadu floor test did not conform to democratic principles and accused the ruling side of engaging in horse-trading by allegedly distributing large sums to certain MLAs.

However, the court declined to intervene.

Although TVK lacked an independent majority in the 234-member Assembly, Vijay secured backing from Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and IUML, taking the coalition tally to 120 members — above the required majority mark of 118. Vijay had denied allegations of horse-trading.

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