OPS takes U-turn: Orders reserved in AIADMK case

CHENNAI: In a fresh U-turn, former chief minister and ousted leader O Panneerselvam on Wednesday expressed his willingness to contest in AIADMK general secretary elections and is ready to withdraw all the cases against the AIADMK general council meet which was held on July 11, 2022.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday heard a pleas filed by ousted leaders O Panneerselvam, PH Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam and JCD Prabhakar against the AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami holding elections for the post of party general secretary and to injunct AIADMK from giving effect to July 11, 2022 general council resolutions.

The multiple suits filed by the rebels came up for final hearing before Justice K Kumaresh Babu on Wednesday. Senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan appeared for Edappadi K Palaniswami and Vijay Narayan appeared for AIADMK while O Panneerselvam, PH Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam, JCD Prabhakar were represented by senior counsels Guru Krishnakumar, C Manishankar, Abdul Saleem and Sriram.

The senior counsel who appeared for O Panneerselvam reportedly argued that it was unfair to remove him from the party without giving any opportunity and the coordinator and joint coordinator posts which were recognised by the Election Commission of India still exist and it doesn't expire.

"To promote Edappadi K Palaniswami as a general secretary, they had illegally sacked the former Chief Minister and his supporters from the party. Rules have been amended in favour of EPS in the July 11, 2022 general council meeting for the post of general secretary. They amended the rules by imposing conditions so that the other party members could not compete. If the conditions are removed, O Panneerselvam will also contest in the AIADMK general secretary elections and is ready to withdraw his all the petitions related to AIADMK general council meet which was held on July 11,2022," the O Panneerselvam side counsel pointed out.

Adding to this, the other counsels C Manishankar, Abdul Saleem and Sriram who appeared for R Vaithilingam, PH Manoj Pandian and JCD Prabhakar were also pointed out that the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator still exist and it doesn't expire. They also contended that the removal of the top man and the other MLAs, office bearers were done with vengeance and no valid reason behind that. Countering this, senior counsel CS Vaidyanathan and Vijay Narayan argued that the posts of coordinator and joint coordinator were not expired but 'cancelled' by the party's powerful general council members.

"AIADMK is a party which was running under the 'general secretary' for 47 years in its 52 years of history. Coordinator and joint coordinator posts were created by the general council members and the same posts were cancelled after 5 years in 2022. The plaintiff O Panneerselvam runs a separate party as he sacked Edappadi K Palaniswami and many and he also appointed various new office bearers to his own party. As the Supreme Court validates the general council meet which was held on July 11,2022, the resolutions were passed in that general council meet are valid and the court should lift the conditions over general secretary elections and allow the party to declare the results," the AIADMK side counsel argued in the court.

While EPS and AIADMK had submitted their written arguments to the court, the court directed the petitioners to file their written arguments by March 24. After hearing the arguments, Justice K Kumaresh Babu reserves orders on applications taken out by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, PJ Manoj Pandian, R Vaithilingam and JCD Prabhakar to injunct AIADMK from giving effect to July 11, 2022 general council resolutions.