The Madras High Court declined interim relief to political parties de-registered by the Election Commission for not contesting Assembly or Lok Sabha polls in six years, saying a stay would let them contest the coming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Petitioners, including Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, argued that Section 29A of the RP Act, 1951, provides only for registration and cited the Supreme Court's 2002 INC vs Institute of Social Welfare ruling limiting de-registration to fraud or similar cases. The ECI relied on its 2014 guidelines under Article 324.