AIADMK 18 MLAs disqualification verdict LIVE updates: The Madras High Court on Thursday upheld the Tamil Nadu Speaker’s decision to disqualify the rebel MLAs.
AIADMK 18 MLAs disqualification case verdict LIVE news updates: In a major relief to the E K Palaniswami-led government, the Madras High Court Thursday upheld the Tamil Nadu Speaker’s decision to disqualify the 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs. The rebels, supporting the Sasikala-Dhinakaran faction, were disqualified by P Dhanapal, the Speaker of the House, under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution (known as the anti-defection law) after the former expressed lack of confidence in Chief Minister E Palaniswami. The rebels later moved a petition in the HC challenging the Speaker’s decision following which the court restrained the Election Commission from declaring their seats vacant. Read in Tamil.
Welcoming the court’s verdict today, the AIADMK, in a tweet, said it is a “correct lesson for the traitors and that democracy has won”. T T V Dinakaran, on the other hand, told news agency ANI, “It is not a setback for us. This is an experience, we will face the situation. The future course of action will be decided after meeting with the 18 MLAs.” Read full story.
In the 234-member Assembly, two seats are vacant, including that of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi. The current strength of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 216. While AIADMK has 116 MLAs, including the Speaker, the Opposition has 98 MLAs.
Thursday's verdict came as a massive relief for the Palaniswami government as the restoration of the membership of the rebel MLAs could have set off a realignment in the state's politics with the Dhinakaran camp likely joining hands with the opposition DMK and bringing it dangerously close to losing majority.
Reacting to the court order, DMK chief M K Stalin said, "Democracy must be safeguarded. Already two assembly constituencies are vacant, now with the Madras HC verdict, 18 seats have fallen vacant. Therefore, the Election Commission should immediately take steps to fill them."
Besides the constituencies of the disqualified MLAs, the Tiruvarur and Thiruparankundram seats had fallen vacant following the death of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi and AIADMK's A K Bose respectively.
When asked about the disqualified MLAs' plea to hold bye-elections in their constituencies, Valarmathi said the AIADMK was ready and expressed confidence that the ruling party will emerge victorious in all the 20 seats.
AIADMK spokesperson P Valarmathi expressed joy over the verdict and said the K Palaniswami government has now proved its 'stability.' "We are very happy...this is a just order," Valarmathi told PTI.
Terming the order as a "slap in the face of traitors", Tamil Nadu Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman told news agency ANI, "This is a victory for dharma and a slap in the face of traitors and cheaters. Even if an appeal is filed, we are sure that the truth will only win."
Welcoming the Madras High Court's verdict, the AIADMK said the order was a victory of democracy and is a “correct lesson for the traitors”. Read full story here.
From the death of AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa to a massive fallout among leaders within the party, here is all that has happened so far.
While delivering the verdict, Justice Sathyanarayanan said there was no infirmity in the order of the Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, which was upheld by Banerjee. "All the material that were available at the time of passing of the order by the Speaker alone have been taken into consideration and this court cannot go into the subsequent events," he observed while upholding their disqualification.
Reacting to the verdict, T T V Dinakaran told news agency ANI, "It is not a setback for us. This is an experience, we will face the situation. The future course of action will be decided after meeting with the 18 MLAs."
While delivering its verdict, the Madras High Court upheld the Tamil Nadu Speaker's decision to disqualify the MLAs.
The DMK, meanwhile, has started backroom negotiations for stitching together an alliance. While the party, along with Congress and IUML, already constitutes a powerful opposition in the Assembly, two more possible additions to the DMK front may be the Dalit party, Thol Thirumavalavan’s VCK, and CPI. Another party largely representing the Vanniyar community — S Ramadoss’s PMK — is also showing signs of breaking away from the NDA alliance. However, VCK’s presence is likely to spoil PMK’s prospects to join the DMK front for their traditional rivalry. CPM, meanwhile, appears to be in a fix owing to its stand to not enter an alliance with Congress in it. Read full story here.
After former CM and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016, multiple factions of the party emerged. Dinakaran was expelled from the party after two factions, led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, agreed on a merger under the condition that Palaniswami becomes CM and Panneerselam deputy CM. Pannerselvam had become interim CM after Jayalalithaa’s death. Dinakaran later formed his own party, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma People’s Progress Front). He contested the RK Nagar bypoll last December as an Independent and won with a huge margin, defeating the ruling AIADMK party as well as opposition DMK. The bypoll was necessitated after the death of Jayalalithaa.
Putting aside Dinakaran's claims, AIADMK said the former AIADMK leader was trying to “fish in troubled waters.” AIADMK spokesperson R M Babu Murugavel was quoted as saying by PTI, “Dinakaran is trying to fish in troubled waters. He and his aides will say anything to stay relevant. He is perhaps doing this to keep his flock together in the context of the case regarding disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs.”