The Madras High Court on Monday ordered notices to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) coordinator O. Panneerselvam, co-cordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami and presidium chairman E. Madhusudanan on a civil suit preferred by former MLA R. Chinnasamy of Singanallur in Coimbatore district challenging his removal from the post of secretary of the party’s trade union Anna Thozhir Sanga Peravai.
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan ordered court notices to all three individuals returnable by Friday. He also permitted the petitioner’s counsel R.C. Paul Kanagaraj and S.S. Rajesh to take private notices so that the case could be heard by the end of the week.
Though the counsel insisted on granting interim orders, the judge said the plea would be considered after the respondents enter appearance in the case through their counsel.
In his plaint, Mr. Chinnasamy said that he had been a two-time MLA representing the Singanallur constituency between 2006-11 and 2011-16.
What the bye-laws say
He was appointed secretary of the Anna Thozhir Sanga Peravai on January 21, 2009, by the party’s then general secretary Jayalalithaa. He said he had worked tirelessly to increase the membership of the trade union to 10 lakh besides increasing its bank balance to around ₹14 crore.
However, on February 3, he was shocked to know through newspaper publications that he had been removed from the post of the secretary of the trade union. Claiming that no procedures as contemplated under the bye-laws of the trade union were followed before removing him from the post and that even a notice was not issued to him before taking such a drastic decision, he urged the court to declare the decision as null and void.
During the course of the arguments, Mr. Rajesh contended that the bye-laws of the party do not recognise posts such as coordinator and co-coordinator which were now held by the Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Minister, respectively.
Claiming that the general secretary alone had the powers to replace the trade union secretary, he said the post of general secretary was vacant as on date, and therefore, the plaintiff’s removal had no sanction of law.
