Quo warranto plea filed against TN Dy CM, minister

A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court against continuance of O Panneerselvam and K Pandiarajan as deputy chief minister and minister, contending that they had attracted disqualification for having voted against the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK government in February.
DMK MLA K Pichandi filed separate quo warranto petitions questioning under what authority the two were holding their posts.
Apart from asking the court to issue a writ of quo warranto against both, the petitioner prayed for an interim injunction restraining Panneerselvam and Pandiarajan from discharging their functions as ministers
The continuance ofthe two in the office for even a day was "illegal and unconstitutional", the petitioner claimed and sought the immediate intervention of the court.

Citing a Supreme Court verdict, he submitted that the disqualification was incurred on the date of defiance of the party whip itself.
Hence, it was not a legal requirement to declare the two as disqualified MLAs by the Assembly speaker, he added.

Panneerselvam, who had revolted against the leadership of V K Sasikala as party general secretary, Pandiarajan and nine other AIADMK MLAs had voted against the confidence vote moved by Chief Minister K Palaniswami in the state assembly on February 18.
After Panneerselvam and Palaniswami merged their factions, the former and Pandiarajan were inducted into the Cabinet.
Already a petition seeking the disqualification of the 11 MLAs, including Panneerselvam, is pending in the court.