AIADMK General Council meeting: OPS moves SC against HC order

NEW DELHI: AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) has approached SC against a verdict of the Madras High Court that restored former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the party’s single leader. 

On September 2, 2022, a division bench of justices M Duraiswamy and Sunder Mohan, in an appeal preferred by EPS, set aside the single judge’s order dated August 17 that nullified the results of July 11 General Council and ordered status quo ante as on June 23 in AIADMK affairs. 

As a result of the resolution passed by the General Council, EPS had become the single leader of the party and had discarded AIAMDK’s dual leadership mode of functioning.

As per the dual mode, OPS and EPS were coordinator and joint coordinator respectively. This was in effect since the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. 

The division bench, in its 127 page order, observed that a single judge’s order had created a functional deadlock in the party as there was no possibility for EPS and OPS to act jointly.

“In these circumstances, we are not giving any finding with regard to the stand taken by the appellant (EPS) that the posts of Coordinator and Joint Coordinator had lapsed for want of ratification on June 23. The said issue could be decided in the pending suit,” the court’s order had also said. 

Edappadi K Palaniswami has already filed a caveat before the SC stating that it’s views should also be heard in the plea challenging the HC’s order dated September 2, 2022.