Director V M Vinu Denied Candidacy in Local Body Polls, High Court Dismisses Plea

Kochi: Director V M Vinu will not be able to contest as a UDF candidate in the Kozhikode Corporation elections. The Kerala High Court today dismissed a petition filed by V M Vinu challenging the exclusion of his name from the voters’ list, delivering a significant setback to his political aspirations.

The High Court clarified that Vinu receives no special privilege just because he is a celebrity, emphasizing that politicians and common citizens are to be treated equally before the law.

During the proceedings, the court questioned the validity of his claim, stating that there is no meaning in asserting his name was on the list in last year’s election but not present now. The court notably inquired, “Don’t celebrities read newspapers?”, underscoring the individual responsibility to verify electoral details. V M Vinu had previously alleged that the ruling political party intentionally removed his name from the list. However, the court countered this accusation, asking, “What’s the point of blaming other parties for your own incompetence?”

The court further questioned whether he was contesting elections without even checking if his name was on the voter list. It also distinguished Vinu’s case from Vaishnavi’s case in Thiruvananthapuram, a precedent where the court had intervened. In Vaishnavi’s instance, the name was on the preliminary list and was removed at the last minute, prompting judicial intervention. The court explicitly stated that the situation here is different, implying a lack of diligent verification on Vinu’s part.