- Six AIADMK legislators resigned after defying party whip.
- These legislators subsequently joined actor-politician Vijay’s TVK party.
- AIADMK challenged Speaker’s acceptance, citing improper inquiry process.
- High Court upheld Speaker’s decision on legislators’ resignations.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar’s decision to accept the resignations of six AIADMK legislators who subsequently joined actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), dealing a setback to the opposition party’s legal challenge. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan partly allowed a batch of writ petitions filed by AIADMK whip Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy, who had challenged the Speaker’s orders accepting the resignations.
Six MLAs Resigned
The six legislators whose resignations were accepted are Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabama, Isakki Subbaiah, Jayakumar, M.R. Vijayabhaskar and C. Vijayabhaskar.
Their resignations were accepted between May 26 and June 29, 2026, after which they joined the TVK. The petitions challenged the Speaker’s decision to accept their resignations.
The case arose amid a wider political dispute over the conduct of AIADMK legislators during the confidence motion moved by the TVK government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
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How The Crisis Unfolded
The results of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were declared on May 4, 2026, with the TVK emerging as the single largest party after winning 108 seats. The party fell short of the 118 seats required for a majority and sought support from other parties to form the government.
The TVK government subsequently won a confidence motion in the Assembly on May 13, securing 144 votes in its favour.
According to the AIADMK, the party had issued a whip on May 11 directing its legislators to oppose the confidence motion. However, 25 AIADMK MLAs voted in favour of the TVK government, allegedly defying the party directive.
Disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution were initiated against the legislators on May 14.
The Speaker was informed about the cross-voting and allegations of horse-trading. Proceedings against some of the MLAs were later dropped after they reportedly apologised.
On May 25, the legislators submitted their resignations and met the TVK general secretary the same day. It was submitted before the court that the Speaker accepted the resignations, a Gazette notification followed, and the legislators subsequently joined the TVK.
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Arguments Before The Court
Krishnamurthy and Ravi, a leader of the National People’s Power Party, approached the High Court seeking to quash the Speaker’s orders.
The petitioners alleged that the Speaker had not conducted a meaningful inquiry before accepting the resignations. They also referred to a complaint submitted to the Governor concerning alleged horse-trading.
The legislators who resigned defended their decisions, arguing that leaving one political party and joining another was part of democratic politics.
The Assembly Secretary’s side submitted that when legislators tender their resignations voluntarily, the Speaker cannot refuse to accept them.
The Division Bench partly allowed the petitions while upholding the Speaker’s decision to accept the six resignations.
By-Elections Already Held
By-elections have already been conducted in the Maduranthakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies following the resignations of former AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabhama, respectively. Both subsequently joined the TVK.
Kumaravel represented Maduranthakam, while Sathyabhama represented Dharapuram.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
