In a reprieve for the AIADMK government, the Madras High Court Thursday upheld the Tamil Nadu Speaker’s decision to disqualify its 18 rebel MLAs who were expelled from the Assembly under the anti-defection law last year.
Justice M Sathyanarayanan, who was appointed a judge in the case by the Supreme Court after the Madras HC gave a split verdict in June, heard the pleas of both the parties and found no infirmity in the order of the Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal. “All the material that was available at the time of passing the order by the Speaker alone have been taken into consideration and this court cannot go into the subsequent events,” Justice Sathyanarayanan observed while upholding the MLAs’ disqualification.