CHENNAI: The 18 MLAs owing allegiance to rebel AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran were suspended just because they had approached the Governor straightaway without availing the intra-party mechanisms to sort out the issues, senior counsel Aryama Sundaram, representing Assembly Speaker Dhanapal, told the first bench on Wednesday.
When the arguments on the issue began before the bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar, Sundaram said that the natural consequence of their demand for a floor test would be the fall of the government. So, in this context, the 10th Schedule of the Constitution came into play, he said. Claiming that the issue was an intra-party dispute, the counsel submitted that the Governor could not interfere in such issues.
As for the absence of action against O Panneerselvam, presently Deputy Chief Minister, and 10 other MLAs, who voted against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s motion of confidence on February 18, Sundaram said that the Speaker could not act upon the complaint against the 11 MLAs in view of an interim order from the ECI. Hence, no bias could be attributed to the Speaker.
Recording the submissions, the bench posted the matter for further hearing on December 18.