Madras HC (File | EPS)
Madras HC (File | EPS)

Madras HC reserves order on AIADMK polls

Justice K Kumaresh Babu, who heard the petitions on a special sitting, reserved the orders after giving time till Friday for the counsels of O Panneerselvam to place their written submissions.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved the orders on the civil suits filed by former chief minister O Panneerselvam and three of his supporters seeking a stay on the organisational polls to elect the general secretary of the AIADMK. Justice K Kumaresh Babu, who heard the petitions on a special sitting, reserved the orders after giving time till Friday for the counsels of O Panneerselvam to place their written submissions.

The day began with senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar, representing Panneerselvam, advancing the arguments, and stating that the coordinator was thrown out of the party in the absence of an appropriate forum and without due procedure, including prior notice.He said neither the alleged lapse of the posts of coordinator and the joint coordinator, nor their abolition, received a stamp of approval of any court, and the coordinator post held by Panneerselvam will last till 2016.

Blaming interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of acting in “quixotic arbitrariness”, he said the “extraordinarily extreme” action of removing Panneerselvam from the party was taken in a “wholly highhanded” manner.

Negating the accusations that Panneerselvam hobnobbed with political opponents, he said there was not even a scrap of paper to prove it. He said the qualifying conditions for contesting the general secretary election was changed to pre-empt Panneerselvam from entering the fray, indicating that he is ready to face the polls if the conditions are removed and if the primary members elect the general secretary.

Countering the contentions, senior counsels CS Vaidyanathan and Vijay Narayan representing Edappadi K Palaniswami, blamed the cases were filed to stifle the voice of the members of the general council which is the supreme body of the party and its decisions binding on all party men.

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