Madras HC refuses to stay suspension of 79 DMK legislators

In a major blow to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court on 22 August declined to stay the suspension of 79 party legislators from the state assembly.

The HC bench comprising Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan did not give any interim direction to authorities to allow the suspended MLAs to attend the ongoing session.

The bench, however, issued a notice to Assembly speaker P Dhanapal.

When there was no one to take notice on his behalf, the bench allowed counsel for DMK treasurer and leader of Opposition in the state assembly MK Stalin and MLA Thiagarajan to serve private notice on him.

Notices were issued to the government and assembly secretary as well. The government pleader took the notices on their behalf.

On 17 August, uproarious scenes were witnessed in the state assembly when DMK MLAs were evicted and suspended en masse by speaker P Dhanapal for a week for allegedly disrupting proceedings of the House.

Initially, 80 MLAs were suspended but later the suspension of one legislator was revoked as he was not present in the House during the ruckus, triggered by remarks of a ruling AIADMK MLA who allegedly ridiculed Stalin.

The DMK moved the high court, seeking quashing of the suspension of their MLAs and contended that the en masse suspension was illegal.

-With inputs from PTI