On May 6, the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings initiated by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal for the disqualification of three MLAs of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — E. Rathinasabapathy (representing Aranthangi constituency), V.T. Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam) and A. Prabhu (Kallakurichi) under the anti-defection law. Two of the MLAs had approached the Court. On May 10, Mr Prabhu, who had separately approached the Supreme Court, too got a stay order from the Court.
The judicial intervention followed a series of events. On April 26, Chief Government Whip S. Rajendran complained that the MLAs had associated themselves with T.T.V. Dhinakaran, general secretary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Three days later, the Speaker issued show-cause notices to them. The principal opposition party in the Assembly, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) proposed a no-confidence motion against Mr. Dhanapal.
The rebel MLAs made two arguments in the Supreme Court. One, they accused the Speaker of having “acted in a partisan and biased manner” Two, they contended that Mr. Dhanapal should not act on the disqualification matter while a motion of no-confidence against him was pending.