Speaker prejudiced, TTV Dhinakaran camp tells court in disqualification case

Chennai: The disqualification of 18 MLAs belonged to TTV Dhinakaran’s faction in the AIADMK by the Speaker was discriminatory and against natural justice, said P. Vetrivel, a disqualified MLA.

When a petition filed by Vetrivel came up for hearing before Justice K. Ravichandrabaabu, senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, appearing on behalf of Vetrivel and other MLAs belonged to TTV group, said that the disqualification is premeditated and Speaker had not even issued them show cause notice. Speaker should not have political colour, he said.

Singhvi said though MLAs of O. Panneerselvam group voted against Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palalamiswai during the vote of confidence in the Assembly, the Speaker had not taken action against them and not even issued notices to them. They defied the party-line whip issued by the chief government whip S Rajendran.

In the letter given to the Governor, the TTV group MLAs had not said they were against the party. They had only accused CM Palaniswami of nepotism and corruption.

The Speaker disqualified them based on the chief whip’s complaint stating that all the 18 MLAs gave up the party membership voluntarily. The basis and foundation for the disqualification is a complaint of chief whip. However, for framing the complaint the chief whip had relied on an unsigned, unnamed and unverified copy of a representation given by the MLAs to the Governor. Even the complete representation was not mentioned in the complaint.

Singhvi further argued that order was not delivered to the MLAs. This was published in the press and gazette even before the MLAs received it on September 20.

Before disqualification, the MLAs were not given opportunity to express their opinion, said the counsel insisting that the disqualification order was mala fide and must be quashed. The judge has posted the matter to Monday for further hearing.