The Kerala High Court is currently examining challenges to the electoral victories of three Congress Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. The elections of Indian National Congress (INC) MLAs Sebastian MJ, Sajeev Joseph, and Manoj Moothedan have been contested through a series of petitions, which briefly appeared before different benches on Monday.
Challenges Against MLA Sebastian MJ
In the case of MLA Sebastian MJ, who won the Poonjar constituency by defeating Kerala Congress (M) candidate Sebastian Kulathunkal by a margin of 6,693 votes, two separate petitions have been filed. The petitions were submitted by Abesh Alosious and Viji George. Justice S Manu presided over this matter and granted a period of two weeks to rectify certain procedural defects identified by the court’s registry.
Petition Against MLA Sajeev Joseph
MLA Sajeev Joseph’s victory from the Irikkur constituency is also under scrutiny, with a petition filed by Kerala Congress (M) candidate Mathew Kunnappally, who lost by 42,426 votes. The challenge is based on claims that Joseph’s nomination papers were improperly accepted. Justice Easwaran S allowed time for the correction of defects in the petition, scheduling the next hearing for August 5, 2026.
Case Against MLA Manoj Moothedan
Justice G Girish is overseeing the petition against MLA Manoj Moothedan, who secured 75,088 votes in the Perumbavoor constituency, defeating Basil Paul of Kerala Congress (M), who received 46,654 votes. The petition, filed by Seena, has prompted the court to request a response from Moothedan, with the next hearing set for September 25, 2026.
Additional Election Challenges
The Kerala High Court is also dealing with challenges to the election results of seven other MLAs. These include Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President Rajeev Chandrashekhar, BJP leader V Muraleedharan, CPI(M)’s C Ravindranath and NK Akbar, Congress MLAs Rajan J Pallan and Reji Cheriyan, and Independent candidate V Kunhikrishnan. These cases are still pending before the court.
