P. Umanath. File
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
The Madras High Court, on Friday (April 10, 2026), ordered notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on a public interest litigation petition accusing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s secretary P. Umanath of having violated the model code of conduct by issuing administrative instructions to Collectors and police officers.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan also allowed an application by the petitioner, A. Mohandoss, to implead Mr. Umanath too as one of the respondents to the case. The judges directed the ECI’s standing counsel Niranjan Rajagopal to make his elaborate submissions, in response to the PIL petition, on April 17.
Published – April 10, 2026 08:10 pm IST
