The Madras High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by DMK president M.K. Stalin challenging the election victory of TVK MLA V.S. Babu from the Kolathur constituency. Stalin had sought to nullify the outcome, mandate a complete count of VVPAT slips, and declare himself the elected candidate.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan upheld the Election Commission of India's stance, ruling the petition "not maintainable."

The court reiterated that under Article 329(b) of the Constitution and Section 80 of the Representation of the People Act, election disputes must exclusively be pursued through formal election petitions rather than writ proceedings under Article 226.

Stalin’s counsel, Kapil Sibal, argued that a writ was necessary due to ECI delays in post-counting verification. The dismissal firmly upholds V.S. Babu's 8,795-vote victory representing TVK in Kolathur.