OPS expulsion: SC refuses to interfere with AIADMK general council resolution

The Supreme Court on Friday (January 19) refused to interfere with a Madras High Court order rejecting pleas of O Panneerselvam and his supporters against the AIADMK general council resolution expelling them from the party.

A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told senior advocate KK Venugopal and other senior counsel appearing for Panneerselvam and his supporters that it is not inclined to interfere with the high court order.

The Bench said interfering with the resolution would amount to allowing the suit pending before the civil court.

"If we interfere at this juncture, it will create huge chaos. To us it appears, there is a split, it will work itself out. Sometimes, it's better to let things work themselves out. Sorry, we are not inclined to interfere with the high court order," the Bench said.

The top court, however, directed for expeditious hearing of the pending suits and gave liberty to Panneerselvam (OPS) and his aides to move application for consolidation of all the suits.

OPS and his supporters have moved the top court challenging the August 25, 2023 order of the Madras High Court by which it had dismissed all the appeals filed by them against the March 28, 2023 verdict of the single judge.

OPS and his supporters in the high court have challenged abolition of post of coordinator and joint coordinator posts, revival of the general secretary posts and their expulsion from the party in July 11, 2022 general council resolutions.

(With agency inputs)