18 disqualified Dhinakaran loyalist MLAs to move SC

The 18 disqualified All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators on Friday decided to approach the Supreme Court against the Madras high court order upholding their disqualification by Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P Dhanapal last year.

Thanga Tamilselvan, one of the disqualified MLAs and a staunch supporter of sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, said the decision was ‘unanimous’ and accepted with ‘joy’ by all the 18 MLAs.

The decision was taken after a discussion between the disqualified legislators and Dhinakaran in Madurai.

"It has been decided that we will go in for an appeal to show to the world that what the Speaker has done is a mistake. We are going to appeal in the Supreme Court," he told reporters.

The Madras high court on Thursday upheld the June 14 order of the then Chief Justice disqualifying 18 rebel AIADMK legislators, in a huge relief to the Edappadi K Palaniswami government.

The 18 disqualified MLAs are loyalists of Dhinakaran, who now heads the AMMK, and deposed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala.