HC refuses to grant interim stay on resolutions of AIADMK GC meet

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday rejected the prayer of Alangulam MLA and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's confidant PH Manoj Pandian to grant an interim stay on the resolutions passed in the AIADMK general council meeting on July 11, 2022, in which former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was made as the interim general secretary of AIADMK.

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the observation on hearing the Civil Suit preferred by Pandian. The plaintiff prayed for a direction to stay all the resolutions passed in the July 11 GC meeting of AIADMK.

However, the judge refused to pass an ex-parte direction.

"Guru Krishnakumar, the senior counsel, appeared on behalf of the plaintiff and endeavored with great vim and vigor to persuade me to grant ad-interim relief. He contended that the impugned resolutions are ex-facie illegal. Without expressing even a tentative opinion on the merits of the application, I am not inclined to grant ex parte relief primarily because the events in question occurred on July 11, 2022," the judge wrote.

He further ordered notice to EPS, and AIADMK to file their response before March 17 – the next date of hearing. The judge asked the respondents to serve a copy of their counter to the plaintiff's counsel two days prior to the next day of the hearing.

Guru Krishnakumar submitted that his client filed this suit as per the February 23 order of the Supreme Court.

While dismissing the OPS and his supporters' appeals against the HC division bench's order that validated the July 11 GC meeting, the Apex Court clarified that it will not go into the resolutions passed in the GC meeting.

Pandian further submitted that the top court further noted that it will be decided by the HC in the pending suits.

The plaintiff argued that the removal of dual leadership, the election of the interim general secretary, and the sacking of OPS, R Vaithilingam, JCD Prabhakar, and the plaintiff as well are illegal and contrary to the by-laws framed by the party founder MG Ramachandran.