The Madras High Court on Thursday reserved orders in a case filed by expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam against the party’s July 11 general council meeting, in which resolutions were passed for his expulsion from primary membership of the party and for the election of Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the party’s interim general secretary.
Justice G. Jayachandran deferred his verdict after hearing arguments advanced by senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar, P.H. Arvindh Pandian and A.K. Sriram, appearing for Mr. Panneerselvam, and another litigant, ‘Amman’ Vairamuthu, alias P. Vairamuthu, who too was aggrieved by the general council meeting. Senior counsel Vijay Narayan and advocates S.R. Rajagopal and Narmadha Sampath represented Mr. Palaniswami.
Since the judge primarily wanted to know whether the meeting was convened strictly in accordance with the party’s bylaws, Mr. Narayan told the court that the party’s bylaws provide for convening a general council meeting within 30 days of the date when at least one-fifth of its members give a request in writing. Accordingly, 2,190 (82%) out of 2,665 members of the general council requisitioned a meeting on June 23.
