New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) The Supreme Court today said theMadras High Court would decide on the pleas seekingdisqualification of 11 AIADMK MLAs including former ChiefMinister O Panneerselvam, who had voted against the E KPalaniswami government in the February trust vote.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and JusticesA M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud disposed of two transferpetitions filed by Thiru Semmalai, seeking transfer of thepleas from the Madras High Court to the apex court.
Lawyer Vivek Singh, appearing for P Vetrivel who belongedto T T V Dhinakaran and Sasikala group, said the prayerseeking a direction to the assembly Speaker to decide thedisqualification matter within a time-frame has been amendedbefore the High Court.
Now, the amended plea seeks indulgence of the High Courtto itself decide the disqualification aspect of Paneerselvam,the incumbent Deputy Chief Minister, and other 10 MLAs who hadthen voted against the Palaniswami government in the trustvote on the floor of the House, the lawyer said.
The transfer petitions were filed in the apex courtraising the issue whether the High Court can direct theSpeaker to decide the disqualification, as a similar issue waspending adjudication before a larger bench of the top court,Singh said.
The apex court considered the submission and disposed ofthe transfer pleas, saying as the prayer seeking a directionto the Speaker stood amended, the high court would now dealwith the issue.
Earlier, the apex court had agreed to hear the transferpleas on disqualification of the then rebel 11 AIADMK MLAs.
Earlier, DMK and others had approached the Madras HighCourt seeking direction to the Speaker to disqualify the 11AIADMK MLAs, including Panneerselvam, under the anti-defectionlaw for allegedly voting against Chief Minister K Palaniswamigovernment.
In its plea before the high court, it was alleged thatthe Speaker was not taking action against these 11 MLAs underthe anti-defection law.
On February 18, jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikalaloyalist E K Palaniswami had won an easy trust vote 122-11,helped by the eviction of main opposition DMK and a walkout byits allies, amid stormy scenes during which mikes wereuprooted, chairs toppled and sheets of papers torn and hurledaround. PTI SJK ABA MNL RKSARC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.