New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday declined to stay the expulsion of former Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) and three others from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) during a general council meeting of the party held in July 2022.
A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said: “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment….”. The apex court noted that there appears to be a split in the party.
As senior advocate K K Venugopal, representing the Panneerselvam and other expelled members, pressed for a relief in the matter, the bench said, “We hope trial in civil suit proceeds expeditiously, no order so far is an expression on merits”. Senior advocates Aryama Sundaram and CS Vaidyanathan appeared for E Palaniswamy.
Venugopal submitted that the general elections are scheduled later this year and his clients are in a limbo, as the decision on the suit will consume a lot of time.
Justice Khanna said: “I am not a politician neither do I understand politics…. Probably you put up a candidate of your choice, not yourself but through somebody…But know what will happen…”. Justice Datta said it would not be proper for the Supreme Court to direct the high court proceedings.
The petitioners had moved the apex court challenging the August 2023 Madras High Court order, which upheld expulsion of O Panneerselvam and 3 others from AIADMK.
A division bench of the high court comprising justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffi dismissed the appeals filed by OPS and his three supporters – JCD Prabhakar, R Vaithilingam, and PH Manoj Pandian – against a single bench’s refusal to stay the expulsion, saying “the appellants are not entitled for interim injunction/relief”.
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