No Sasikala swearing-in on Tuesday

The suspense over Tamil Nadu's political development stretches, as the swearing in of 'Chinamma' Sasikala Natarajan as the Chief Minister will not be held on Tuesday.

According to sources, Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao is unlikely to administer the oath of Sasikala, as he is examining the legal implication of the development, since she has a hearing over graft charges.

Earlier in the day, a petition was moved in the Supreme Court to stay the swearing-in ceremony of Sasikala.

The petition filed by a Tamil Nadu-based lawyer, Senthil Kumar, asserts that the State would witness riots if Sasikala, once made Chief Minister, is forced to resign in case the Supreme Court overturns the order of acquittal of the Karnataka High Court in the disproportionate assets (DA) case pending in the apex court.

"There is a possibility that riots will erupt all over Tamil Nadu, which is already facing a desperate situation due to cyclone, demonetisation, and death of its CM and hence it is imperative that fresh crisis is not created," the petition said.

The petition further alleged that after Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016 while holding the office of the Chief Minister, a "lot of political gambling and horse trading started in Tamil Nadu, especially in AIADMK party.

On Monday, Justice P.C. Ghose, the lead judge on the Bench which heard the appeals filed by Karnataka against the acquittal order of May 11, 2015, hinted that the judgment in the graft case is likely to be pronounced in a week's time.