The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed an interim application filed by Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi seeking a declaration that the election petition filed against him over alleged corrupt practices was not maintainable.
Dismissing the interim application filed by Suresh Gopi against the election petition that challenged his election, a single bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath on Wednesday held that the plea challenging Suresh Gopi’s 2024 Thrissur election is maintainable and that the petition will go to trial and be heard on merits.
“The upshot of the findings is that the challenge to the maintainability of the election petition raised on all grounds must fail. Hence, the preliminary objections raised by the respondent (Suresh Gopi) are overruled. The election petition is not liable to be dismissed in limine,” the Court said.
However, the Court struck off one of the challenges raised in the petition regarding the distribution of shade umbrellas by Gopi to vendors in a vegetable market.
“The corrupt practice alleged with regard to the distribution of shade umbrellas to the vendors at the vegetable market mentioned in para 16 of the election petition is struck off. The respondent (Gopi) shall face trial for the other corrupt practices alleged in the petition,” the Court ordered.
The order was passed on an election petition challenging Gopi’s election victory filed by Binoy AS, an All India Youth Federation (AIYF) leader and a voter from Thrissur.
The petitioner alleged that the actor had promised monetary and other benefits for voters when the Model Code of Conduct was in place. The petitioner also alleged that the actor appealed for votes in the name of religion. The petitioner stated that many of these instances were openly put on the Facebook page “BJP Thrissur”.
The petitioner also alleged that during the election campaign, flex boards were installed depicting the actor wearing a shirt bearing images of Lord Krishna and Radha. In this regard, a complaint was filed, and notice was issued to the election agent of the MP. However, they did not respond to those notices. The petitioner also submitted that other flex boards featured the actor along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sree Rama Temple. It was further alleged that, in another instance, Shri A. P. Abdullakutty, one of the star campaigners for the actor, addressed voters and urged them to vote keeping in mind Lord Sree Rama. The petitioner alleged that Suresh Gopi was using religion to solicit votes.