The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam approached the Madras High Court on Monday and sought to have Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and 11 other MLAs disqualified for voting against Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami during the trust vote on February 18 in the Assembly, ANI reported.
DMK whip R Sakkrapani said Panneerselvam and his faction had violated the Tamil Nadu Legislative (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1986. He said Speaker P Dhanapal had disqualified 18 MLAs of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who had supported ousted leader TTV Dinakaran, instead of taking action against Panneerselvam and his camp, The Hindu reported.
“Despite a lapse of more than six months, even notices were not issued, showing complete mala fide and partisan behaviour of the Speaker,” Sakkrapani said in his petition, according to The Times of India.
Dinakaran and his supporters had approached Governor C Vidyasagar Rao expressing their lack of confidence in Palaniswami to lead the government in Tamil Nadu. On September 14, the High Court had said that there will be no floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly till September 20. On September 20, it had extended its stay on the floor test till further orders.
On September 12, the Madras High Court had agreed to hear a plea by DMK Working President MK Stalin, seeking to have a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, on October 10.
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