CHENNAI: Even though the general council of AIADMK is the supreme body of the party, it is not competent to initiate disciplinary action against party men, O Panneerselvam told the Madras High Court on Thursday.
The submission was made by senior counsel PS Raman representing OPS before a division bench of justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq on the first day of the final arguments on the appeals filed by the embattled leader and three of his supporters challenging a single judge’s order rejecting their suits against the general secretary election and their expulsion.
“The general council is the supreme body of the party for framing policies and programmes. It is a collective plenary body. But it cannot convert into a lynch mob, however supreme or plenary,” he said. The counsel explained that only the party units/higher bodies/executive committee or either the coordinator or the joint coordinator shall initiate disciplinary action against party men, that too by giving prior notice with seven days time.
This procedure was not followed in the case of expulsion of OPS, R Vaithilingam, JCD Prabhakar and PH Manoj Pandian, he said, adding that by removing OPS from the party, his chance to contest to the general secretary polls was thwarted and Edappadi K Palaniswamy was declared elected unopposed.
Senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar assailed the verdict of the single judge blaming that he (Justice Kumaresh Babu) had lost out on the intentions of the party’s founder (MGR) who wanted the general secretary of the party be elected by the primary members.