Appeals by Panneerselvam, other expelled AIADMK leaders to be taken up for final hearing on April 20, 21

The Madras High Court on Monday decided to take up for final hearing, on April 20 and 21, appeals preferred by AIADMK expelled leader O. Panneerselvam and three others, against a single judge’s refusal to interfere with the party’s July 11, 2022 general council resolutions and the party’s subsequent general secretary election.

The Madras High Court on Monday decided to take up for final hearing, on April 20 and 21, appeals preferred by AIADMK expelled leader O. Panneerselvam and three others, against a single judge’s refusal to interfere with the party’s July 11, 2022 general council resolutions and the party’s subsequent general secretary election.

Justices R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq refused to grant any kind of interim relief to the appellants till then on the ground that it might cause unnecessary confusion. The judges said, they would hear the appeals directly and give a quietus to the entire issue by dealing with the appeals in holistic manner.

“We will touch upon each and every aspect and answer all issues beginning from the conduct of the general council meeting,” the senior judge in the Division Bench told the counsel representing both sides and asked them to choose either April 18 or 20 for advancing their final arguments on the appeals itself.

Senior counsel P.S. Raman said, it would be better if the court could allot two half day sessions consecutively on April 20 and 21 and one more half day session on some other day if the arguments could not be concluded within two days. In the meantime, he insisted on some kind of interim protection for the appellants.

Stating that the AIADMK had commenced a membership drive, he said he feared it may end up rejecting the applications of the supporters of Mr. Panneerselvam. On his part, senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar complained that the party had shown a great amount of urgency and haste during every stage of the case. He said, the general secretary election notification was issued on March 17 just hours after the single judge had heard the civil suits filed by the expelled leaders against the general council resolutions, and it necessitated the judge to hold a special sitting on March 19, a Sunday, to hear their plea challenging the notification.

On March 19, the party gave an undertaking to the court that it would not declare the results of the general secretary election until the disposal of applications for interim injunction. “The results were declared within half an hour after the single judge dismissed the interim applications on March 28 though this Bench agreed to hear the appeals,” he said.

Mr. Krishnakumar and senior counsel C. Manishankar urged the court to provide some interim protection for the appellants since the party should not end up taking important decisions in the interregnum, and then present a fait accompli before the court. On the other hand, senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan and Vijay Narayan, for AIADMK, opposed the plea for granting interim relief.