TN Speaker issued disqualification notice to OPS, 10 other AIADMK MLAs, SC told

Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvan and 10 other AIADMK MLAs have been issued notice by the Speaker on disqualification plea for defying the party whip and voting against the E K Palaniswami government in February 2017 trust vote, the Advocate General informed the Supreme Court on Friday.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant disposed of a petition filed by a DMK leader, R Sakkarapani, after recording a statement from Tamil Nadu's top law officer Vijay Narayan, who said the Assembly Speaker has sought a response from the 11 MLAs on Thursday.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the AIADMK MLAs said all their contention should be left open for consideration.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the DMK leader, pointed out that there was a Supreme Court's judgement of January 21, 2020, in a petition filed by Congress MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh from Manipur Assembly, which stated that the Speaker must decide the disqualification petitions without three-month of outer limit.

The court, however, refrained from setting any deadline for Speaker Dhanapal on disqualification petitions, pending for over three years. The AIADMK has 124 MLAs in 234-member Assembly.

The top court had earlier on February 4, questioned the inaction and unnecessary delay in deciding disqualification petitions filed against Paneerselvan and other MLAs.

The OPS faction had rebelled in February 2017, after he was forced to resign by V K Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran. A few months later, he, however, made peace with the EPS and joined hands to keep J Jayalalithaa's close aide and her nephew out of power.