PC to face trial over 2009 LS poll victory

Chennai: Union home minister P Chidambaram will have to face trial to prove the validity of his election from Sivaganga parliamentary constituency, with the Madras high court on Thursday refusing to reject a plea challenging his win in 2009.      Dismissing Chidambaram's plea, judge K Venkataraman said the election petition filed by AIADMK's Raja Kannappan was maintainable and its contents required a "detailed trial". Chidambaram had defeated Kannappan by 3,354 votes.      The opposition was quick to demand his resignation, but Chidambaram ruled out quitting, saying the order was not a setback for him but for his rival. "I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. There are 111 election petitions filed against Lok Sabha members," he said. 'Cash used in election to be examined too'  Chennai: Dismissing home minister P Chidambaram's plea against the election petition of Raja Kannappan, his AIADMK rival in the 2009 election, the Madras HC said on Thursday, "A perusalof the various averments made in the election petition (filed by Kannappan) shows that sufficient material facts were made and it discloses cause of action for trial of the election petition. It also contains adequate statement of material facts on which the allegations of irregularities or illegalities in counting were found."      The order has provided some respite to the minister withthejudgestriking offtwo paragraphs in the AIADMK candidate's petition containing allegations about use of personnel from nationalized banks for poll work.      The judge, however, said other allegations levelled by Kannappan, such as use of money andirregularitiesduring counting, could not be struck off at this stage.      Now that PC has exhausted both options of a preliminary objection petition and the strike off petition, unless the SC intervenes in his favour, he will have to face examination to prove the validity of his election.