AIADMK MLAs disqualification case to come up for hearing in Madras HC tomorrow

The case relating to the disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party leader T T V Dhinakaran, will come up for hearing before Justice M Sathyanarayanan of the Madras High Court tomorrow.

According to sources, the matter is listed for hearing at 4 pm tomorrow.

On June 14, a division bench of the Madras High Court had given a split verdict on petitions challenging the disqualification of these MLAs, a ruling that maintained status quo in the corridors of power in Tamil Nadu.

The court had said that the senior most judge after the high court's Chief Justice would hand-pick a third judge, who will hear the matter afresh. Following this, Justice S Vimala of the high court was appointed as the third judge to hear the matter.

The petitioners had then approached the apex court seeking transfer of their pleas from the high court claiming that there was apprehension of "bias".

A vacation bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, had recently refused to transfer the case from the Madras High Court and said Justice Sathyanarayanan would hear and decide the pleas filed by these MLAs challenging their disqualification by the Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal had on September 18 last year disqualified these 18 MLAs on the ground that they had tried to pull down AIADMK government in the state.

On June 14, a division bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar, had delivered divergent verdicts on whether the 18 MLAs deserved to be disqualified under the anti-defection law by the Speaker for approaching the Governor and seeking the removal of Chief Minister K Palaniswami.