New Delhi: The Madras High Court said on Wednesday (May 6) that the court’s registry could not refuse to number a petition merely because doubts had been raised over its maintainability. The court passed the order while hearing a plea, originally filed in April, seeking an FIR and to assess whether Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay could be pursued for money laundering.Legal news site Bar and Bench reports that the court directed that that petition be formally numbered and placed before the appropriate bench. The order only means the plea is now on course to be heard by a judge. A report in the Hindu said the High Court Registry numbered the writ petition on Wednesday and that it is expected to be listed soon.This comes two days after the results of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election were declared on May 4, leading to a surprise win for TVK founder and actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, whose party bagged 108 seats to emerge as the single largest party in the 234-member assembly, trouncing both the DMK and the AIADMK.The bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan said on Wednesday that the registry could not decide questions about whether a petition was maintainable. It observed that such determinations fall within the exclusive domain of the judiciary. The Bench directed that such petitions may still be numbered and placed before the roster judge with a note saying maintainability was in question, as per the Bar and Bench report.The Hindu report said the Registry is expected to list the petition under the ‘for maintainability’ caption.The observations came while hearing a plea filed by Chennai resident M. Rajkumar, which sought directions to the Income Tax Department to initiate proceedings against Vijay. It said that materials gathered during previous tax proceedings should be used to assess whether to pursue a case against the actor-politician under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The petitioner also sought registration of an FIR alleging suppression of income, concealment of financial transactions and receipt of unaccounted cash remuneration.The court reminded the Registry of a similar previous order not to block petitions at the registry itself and directed the Registrar General to circulate the copy of its latest order to all sections. “Henceforth, the directions issued shall be scrupulously followed by the Registry,” the Bench said, as per reports.There are now at least three petitions in various stages before the Madras High Court concerning alleged discrepancies in Vijay’s financial disclosures and election affidavits.The first petition, filed by V. Vignesh on April 20, identified as a voter from the Perambur constituency, alleged inconsistencies between the affidavits submitted by Vijay while contesting from the Perambur and Tiruchi East constituencies in the recently concluded assembly polls. The plea alleges that Vijay disclosed assets worth around Rs 115 crore in one affidavit and over Rs 220 crore in another, Live Law reports.While issuing notice in the matter on April 20, the Division Bench orally remarked that the non-disclosure of more than Rs 100 crore in one constituency amounted to an “irregularity”. Notices were issued to Vijay, the Election Commission of India, Income Tax authorities and the Returning Officers concerned, Live Law reports.A second petition seeking an inquiry into Vijay’s declared assets was, however, dismissed by the high court on April 27. The Bench noted that a similar petition was already pending (the April 20 petition filed by Vignesh M.) before the court and declined to entertain parallel proceedings. This petition was filed by M.P. Venkatesh, identified as a voter from the Perambur constituency – where Vijay won.The court also indicated that Venkatesh’s petition relied upon an affidavit that had been rejected by the election commission, not the documents actually accepted by election authorities.Vijay and his party have staked a claim to form the next government in Tamil Nadu.