Madras High Court Verdict Today on Resignations of Six AIADMK MLAs

The Madras High Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Tuesday on petitions challenging Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar’s decision to accept the resignations of six AIADMK legislators.

The cases concern Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabhama, Isakki Subbaiah, Jayakumar, MR Vijayabhaskar and C Vijayabhaskar.

The petitioners allege that the Speaker accepted their resignations without a meaningful inquiry, despite pending disqualification proceedings over claims that they voted in support of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government in violation of the AIADMK whip.

PETITIONERS QUESTION SPEAKER’S DECISION

AIADMK whip Agri Krishnamurthy and National People’s Power Party leader Ravi filed petitions seeking to quash the orders accepting the resignations.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arulmurugan heard the cases.

The petitioners questioned the process followed by the Speaker and referred to a complaint submitted to the Governor alleging horse-trading.

The six legislators, meanwhile, argued that resigning and joining another party was part of democratic politics. Counsel for the Assembly Secretary submitted that the Speaker could not refuse to accept resignation letters submitted voluntarily.

TWO LEGISLATORS RETURNED ON TVK TICKETS

By-elections were held in Maduranthakam and Dharapuram after Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabhama resigned from the Assembly and joined Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s TVK.

Both contested under TVK’s whistle symbol and retained their seats. According to the Election Commission, Sathyabhama secured 66,841 votes in Dharapuram, while Maragatham Kumaravel won Maduranthakam.

Vijay described the results as a victory for democratic values and a rejection of money-power politics.

In a post on X, he claimed the party had won without paying voters or using coercive campaign practices, contrasting its approach with what he called the “Thirumangalam or Erode East formula."

The High Court’s ruling will address the challenge to the Speaker’s acceptance of the six resignations.

With inputs from ANI