MADURAI: A day after the third judge decided the fate of the 18 MLAs in the Madras HC, the disqualified legislators held a closed-door meeting at a private hotel in the city. After the two-hour meeting with advocate N Raja Senthoor Pandian and TTV Dhinakaran, the legislators decided to appeal against the verdict. While two disqualified MLAs skipped the meeting, the ranks of the rebels swelled after three sitting legislators — E Rathinasabapathy, A Prabhu and V T Kalaiselvan — joined the session.
According to sources in the Dhinakaran’s team, the participants weighed all options, while Senthoor Pandian advised them on the legal nuances. While a few MLAs toyed with the idea of facing the hustings instead of challenging the verdict, they reached a consensus on moving the apex court.
After the meeting, Dhinakaran loyalist Thanga Tamilselvan said, “We will move the SC to prove the grave injustice meted out to us by the Speaker. We will challenge the verdict, as it is ambiguous.” Taking exception to the long rope extended to 11 MLAs, including the now deputy CM O Paneerselvam, who voted against the AIADMK government during the Floor Test, Thanga Tamilselvan said, “The Speaker acted in a prejudiced manner, and we aim to show the world that he was wrong.” P Vetrivel (Perambur) and N G Parthiban (Sholingur) were absent.