The Supreme Court of India on Friday declined to intervene in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker’s decision to close disqualification proceedings against a group of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislators. The Bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, dismissed a plea filed by advocate P.V. Selvakumar, noting that the petitioner lacked the standing to challenge the internal affairs of the political party.
The controversy originated in May 2026, when 25 AIADMK legislators defied their party whip to support the C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government during a crucial confidence vote. The TVK government, which held 108 seats, secured a majority with the support of 144 legislators in the 234-member Assembly. Following this, the Speaker initiated disqualification proceedings but later dropped them on June 9, 2026, after receiving a letter from the AIADMK general secretary requesting the withdrawal of the action.
The petitioner had previously approached the Madras High Court, which ruled in August that the party’s decision to condone the actions of the 21 legislators effectively ended the grounds for disqualification. The High Court stated that once the general secretary withdrew the complaint, the Speaker was correct to drop the proceedings. The Supreme Court echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the distinction between political party dynamics and legal mandates.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court Bench observed that the AIADMK had chosen not to pursue the matter against its own members. The judges remarked that in a multi-party system, the court must respect the internal choices of political parties, even when they opt to forgive dissenting members. The Bench clarified that while the legislators defied the party whip, they maintained their membership within the AIADMK, and the court refused to bind the party to legalistic interpretations when it had already absolved the members for political reasons.
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