CHENNAI: Single leadership is the basic structure of AIADMK, which has been restored now, senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan representing AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami told the Madras High Court during the final hearing of appeals against general secretary elections and resolutions of July 11, 2022 general council, on Monday.
“The basic structure of the party is one leader, a single leader who should be elected by the primary members, right from the days of MGR. He is answerable to the general council. This has been restored now,” Vaidyanathan told a division bench of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq on Monday.
Pointing out that the single leader -- general secretary -- is having extraordinary powers to take decisions on emergency situations, counsel said the general council is the supreme body and this basic structure has been brought back.
He said the arguments of O Pannerselvam’s side on the basic structure and other issues before the Supreme Court was rejected and it is surprising that they have taken 50 hours of judicial time by way of litigations. If a leader (OPS) is claiming to have support, he should prove it in a democratic manner and not in the court, Vaidyanathan said, adding the party has been going stronger in the past year without him.
Earlier, C Manishankar, Abdul Salim and AK Sriram argued for Pannerselvam’s supporters R Vaithilingam, JCD Prabhakar and PH Manoj Pandian. When Manishankar pressed for an interim order restraining Palaniswami from not refusing to renew the membership of Pannerselvam’s supporters, the bench said any decision taken by the respondents would be subject to the final outcome of the appeals.
The bench adjourned further arguments to June 8.