Kerala HC rejects Film Director Vinu's plea to include name in Kozhikode Corporation voters list

Kochi, Nov 19 The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by film director V M Vinu, who was the Congress party's mayor candidate for the Kozhikode Corporation in the upcoming local body polls in the state, seeking inclusion of his name in the voters list.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said that Vinu ought to have checked whether his name was there in the voters list or not.

The court also said that merely because he was a celebrity, he cannot be given special preference.

Vinu had moved the court claiming that his name was removed from the voters list of the Kozhikode corporation due to political rivalry.

The court said that in the case of Vyshna S L (24), Congress candidate from the Muttada division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, her name was removed from the list at the last moment and that is why it intervened.

The court had on Monday directed the State Election Commission to consider the young Congress candidate's appeal to have her name reinstated on the voters' list for the upcoming civic polls, stating that "democracy should prevail over technicality and party politics."

Justice Kunhikrishnan said that Vinu's case was different from that of Vyshna.

V.M. Vinu v. State Election Commission Vikas Bhavan, (Kerala)