The Madras High Court adjourned till Monday the hearing of the petition filed by the 18 rebel AIADMK MlAs challenging their disqualification by Speaker P Dhanapal on the grounds of rules under the anti-defection laws.
Justice K Ravichandra Babu who heard the case on Wednesday also ordered that the interim stay on the trust vote to be held in the legislative Assembly and the by-election to be held in the 18 Assembly constituencies represented by the rebel MlAs too would stay till further orders.
The hearing was adjourned to Monday following the request by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the rebel MlAs who sought time for filing some more details associated with the case.
Justice Babu issued a notice to Speaker Dhanapal returnable by October 12 in response to a petition filed by the DMK questioning why the present Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and ten MlAs were not disqualified for voting against the trust vote motion moved by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy in February 2017.
Panneerselvam, who was then a dissident AIADMK leader, along with the ten MlAs had voted against the trust motion defying the party whip. Since then, the two camps led by Panneerselvam and Palaniswamy came together and eased out VK Sasikala from the post of general secretary of the party.
The 18 rebel AIADMKs were disqualified by the Speaker because of the letter they submitted to the then Governor C Vidhyasagar Rao informing him about their decision to withdraw support to Chief Minister Palaniswamy.