Election commission bribery case On 17 April 2017, Delhi police registered a case against Dhinakaran regarding an allegation of attempting to bribe the
Election Commission of India (ECI) for the AIADMK's
election symbol. On April 25, 2017, the Delhi Police arrested Dhinakaran, following four consecutive days of interrogation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Investigators accused Dhinakaran of roping in conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as a middleman to facilitate the deal, which was reportedly worth ₹50 crore. Police claimed that Chandrashekhar was arrested at a South Delhi hotel with ₹1.3 crore in cash, which was allegedly meant as an initial instalment of the bribe. Dhinakaran's close associate, Mallikarjuna, was also taken into custody for his suspected role in moving the funds through illegal channels. Dinakaran was charged with conspiracy and corruption in the case. He remained in judicial custody until June 1, 2017, when a special court granted him bail on a personal bond of ₹5 lakh, noting that the specific ECI officials intended to be bribed had not yet been identified. In December 2018, a Delhi court officially framed criminal charges against him for conspiracy and destruction of evidence. In April 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Dhinakaran for further questioning to confront him face-to-face with Sukesh Chandrashekhar regarding inconsistencies in their statements. ==Elections contested and positions held==