CHENNAI: Madras high court has refused to stay the election to the Tamil Film Producers Council slated for Feb 22. It permitted retired judge of the court Justice S Rajeshwaran to function as the election officer, as proposed by the general body of the council.Justice P Dhanabal passed the order while dismissing a plea moved by five members of the council seeking to stay the election until proper scrutiny of the existing voters list, as per the bylaws of the council.“As the election process has already started, the voters list has been finalised and the date of election is fixed, it is not appropriate to appoint any other election officer. The applicants are not entitled to any relief through these applications. Therefore, these applications have no merits and deserve to be dismissed,” the court said.According to the petitioners, as per Clause 17 of the bylaw, the executive committee, when assembled to deliberate the fixation of the general body meeting date for the purpose of conducting the election to the council, shall appoint a senior producer member from the council as an election officer.However, contrary to the bylaw, the general body appointed the former judge of the HC, Justice (retired) Rajeshwaran, as the election officer, which is arbitrary and non est in the eye of law, they said.Representing the council, advocate Krishna Ravindran submitted that there was no violation of bylaws, as alleged by the petitioners. In the annual general body meeting, Justice Rajeshwaran was nominated as the election officer, and the applicants, who were also present in the meeting, did not raise any objections.Justice Rajeshwaran had acted as an election officer during the previous election for the council held in 2017, he said.
