Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and 10 other AIADMK MLAs have been asked to reply by March 16 to notices issued by Speaker P. Dhanapal on why action should not be initiated against them for defying the whip and voting against the Edappadi K. Palaniswami government during a motion of confidence in February 2017.
At that time, Mr. Panneerselvam and the 10 legislators had rebelled against the AIADMK faction headed by V.K. Sasikala. Subsequently, Ms. Sasikala was sidelined, paving the way for a merger of the factions led by Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami.
Sources said that after the Supreme Court disposed of a plea by the DMK, seeking action against the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law , the Speaker granted time till March 16 for their replies.
The Speaker’s office has been following up on the notices issued to the legislators. The State’s Advocate General had informed the apex court last month that the Speaker had issued notices to the MLAs concerned.
Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde had declined to impose a deadline on the Speaker, observing: “Needless to mention, the Speaker had to take a decision in accordance with the law.”
DMK whip R. Sakkarapani had, in his plea, stated that the 11 AIADMK MLAs from the then Panneerselvam faction voted against the trust vote on February 18, 2017. The plea for their disqualification was made before the Speaker under Paragraph 2(1)(b) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
