NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the assistance of Attorney General over a plea by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s aide K Pandiarajan against present Chief Minister E Palaniswami stating that the floor test conducted in February was not free and fair.
A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra sought the assistance of newly appointed Attorney General K K Venugopal on July 11 asking is there any provision for conducting a secret ballot vote during the trust vote in an assembly.
The petition has challenged the proceedings of the February 18 trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly and also sought another trust vote via secret ballot.
On February 16, Palaniswami was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and won the trust vote 122-11 in the 234-member assembly. The floor test had witnessed chaotic scenes leading to eviction of the main opposition DMK and a walkout by its allies in protest.
The plea questioned as to why the Speaker did not postpone the proceedings and did not carry the vote of confidence motion through a secret ballot.
The case will now be heard on July 11.