TN Speaker's ruling awaited on MLAs disqualification

DMK said it was hopeful of a 'good ruling' by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker on its plea seeking disqualification of 11 AIADMK MLAs, including then rebel leader and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who had voted against the Palaniswami government in 2017. The DMK was reacting to the state government's submission in the Supreme Court that Speaker P Dhanapal has initiated action on the disqualification petition. DMK had moved the apex court alleging that the Speaker did not act on its plea seeking the disqualification of the 11 ruling AIADMK legislators, who had voted against the confidence motion moved by chief minister K Palaniswami in the assembly on February 18, 2017. Earlier, the DMK's plea seeking disqualification of the MLAs was dismissed by the Madras High Court in April 2018. Revolting against then party general secretary V K Sasikala, Panneerselvam had created a split in the AIADMK but later he and Palaniswami merged the factions and ousted her in August, 2017.