CHENNAI: Almost five months after reserving its verdict on the pleas challenging
disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK
MLAs, the Madras high is likely to pronounce its decision on Thursday.
The first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar is likely to pronounce the judgement around 1pm.
It all started on September 18 when
Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal passed orders disqualifying 18 rebel
AIADMK MLAs under the anti-defection law on a complaint filed by the ruling party's whip after they had met the governor and expressed their lack of confidence in chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Alleging mala fide on the part of the speaker, the 18 MLAs approached the high court. Admitting their plea on September 20, a single judge of the court stayed conduct of floor test and restrained the Election Commission of India from declaring the constituencies as vacant and conducting bypolls.
Since the pleas involved constitutional issues, they were transferred to the first bench headed by the Chief Justice Indira Banerjee. After marathon hearings that lasted several weeks, the first bench reserved its verdict on January 24.
Madras high court