MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday allowed a plea moved by AIADMK seeking direction to the Bank of India to permit party treasurer Dindigul C Sreenivasan to operate a locker containing a 13-kg golden armour of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar ahead of Thevar Jayanthi being celebrated from October 27 to 30.
Justice GR Swaminathan, who passed the order, observed that as of now, O Panneerselvam is an expelled member of the party and cannot claim any right to operate the locker. He directed the bank to accept the party's request to operate the locker through the current treasurer Sreenivasan.
Every year, the party's treasurer and caretaker of Pasumpon Thevar Ninaivalayam would collect the armour on October 26, and the latter would adorn it on the statue of Thevar at Pasumpon the next day and return it at the end of the celebrations.
Citing internal dispute in AIADMK, the Bank of India last year refused to permit current AIADMK treasurer Sreenivasan to operate the locker, prompting Sreenivasan to approach HC. A single bench had then passed an interim order directing DROs of Madurai and Ramanathapuram to handle the armour during the celebrations.
Citing subsequent developments, including the dismissal of OPS' appeal over his expulsion in the principal seat on August 25, AIADMK approached the Madurai Bench this month seeking final disposal of its 2022 plea. Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, who represented AIADMK, told the court that though general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami wrote to the bank on October 3 informing it of these legal developments, the bank is yet to give its nod.
Panneerselvam's counsel said OPS has moved a special leave petition before the Supreme Court against the dismissal order passed by the principal seat. Claiming that he was elected party treasurer by former CM J Jayalalithaa and MoU signed by the party in 2014 while opening the said bank locker also specifically mentioned his name, counsel requested the court to let the last year's arrangement continue this year as well.
Justice Swaminathan observed that the aforesaid MoU dated May 3, 2014 only named OPS as treasurer of the party. Since resolutions were passed on July 11, 2022, expelling OPS from primary membership of the party, and appeals filed by him against it in the principal seat were also dismissed, OPS, as of now, is an expelled member. Also pointing out that the special leave petition filed by OPS in the apex court has not yet been numbered by the court, the judge directed the bank to accept Palaniswami's letter.