Chennai: A shot in the arm for TTV Dinakaran. A day after Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal disqualified 18 rebel AIADMK legislators under the Anti-Defection Act for withdrawing their support to chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the Madras high court on Tuesday agreed to hear their pleas assailing the disqualification on an urgent basis.

Justice M Duraiswamy allowed an urgent mention made by senior counsel P R Raman on behalf of the legislators.

"Legally we are very sound and we will get justice from the Court," sad Dinakaran to media.

Seeking an urgent hearing, the counsel said the constitutional rights of the 18 MLAs to cast their votes in case of a floor test would be greatly affected if their pleas against their illegal disqualification was not heard on an urgent basis.

Agreeing to hear the pleas on Wednesday, the judge directed them to file a proper petition. Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal on Monday disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs who are supporting sidelined party deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran. The MLAs were disqualified under Schedule 10 of the Indian Constitution, which deals with the anti-defection law.

Speaker P Dhanapal on Monday disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs who are supporting sidelined party deputy general secretary Dinakaran. The MLAs were disqualified under Schedule 10 of the Indian Constitution, which deals with the anti-defection law.

"The Speaker has taken action under schedule 10 of the constitution and therefore the following MLAs are disqualified and therefore they lose their MLA post," said a statement issued by assembly secretary K Boopathy on Monday morning.