Sree Keralavarma College Election Case: KSU Candidate Moves Kerala High Court Alleging Malpractice In Election Result

A plea has been moved in the Kerala High Court alleging arbitrariness in the recounting of votes pertaining to the election of the College Union Chairman at Sree Keralavarma College, Thrissur. 

The petitioner, a specially-abled third Year B.A. Political Science student named Sreekuttan, had initially been declared as the Chairman of the College Union. Sreekuttan was the candidate of Kerala Students Union (KSU), student wing of the Indian National Congress. The petitioner stated that he had initially been declared as the winner by 1 vote, and KSU for the very first time in 41 years in the College. 

However, in a dramatic turn of events, the Returning Officer resorted to recounting of the votes on the same day, when faced with requests for the same from the Opposite faction.

Subsequently, on recounting, the Opposite faction's candidate was declared as the Chairman by 10 votes.

Sreekuttan alleges that the Principal of the College had objected to the recounting in the first place, and had even reported to the media that it was due to the intervention of the Cochin Devaswom Commissioner that the recounting had resumed. 

The petitioner thus avers that the election results had been influenced by extraneous factors. He adds that the votes which had been invalidated at the time of counting could not have been validated at the time of recounting. 

Sreekuttan thus seeks the conduct of a probe into the alleged malpractice, tampering, and sabotage involved in the election process, and the conduct of a re-election to the post of the Chairman of the College Union. 

The plea has been moved through Advocates Mathew A. Kuzhalnadan, Kaveri Mohan, V. Shyamohan, Kuriakose Varghese, Sradhaxna Mudrika, and Bincy Job. 

Case Title: Sreekuttan S. v. Sree Keralavarma College & Ors. 

Case Number: W.P.(C) No. 36659/ 2023