Relief for OPS as Madras HC bars AIADMK meet from taking up single leadership

The Madras high court on Thursday ruled that no unannounced resolutions could be taken up at the meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general and executive councils in Chennai, restraining the camp led by joint co-ordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) from initiating any such move over the possible single leadership issue.

The meeting of the main opposition party's general council, its highest decision-making body, and the executive is slated at a marriage hall in Vanagaram near Chennai.

In a late night hearing that stretched till early Thursday, a special division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and Sundar Mohan granted the relief to party co-ordinator O Panneerselvam at a special sitting at the senior judge's residence at Anna Nagar in the city, on an appeal against a single judge order.

As per the latest order of the bench, the meeting can take place as scheduled and the already decided 23 resolutions can be taken up and adopted. No other new resolutions touching upon making amendment to party bye-laws to abolish the co-ordinator and joint co-ordinator posts and restoring the general secretary post to pave way for single leadership, shall be taken up.

Wednesday was a day of events providing contrasting jubilation to party leaders and their cadres. Around 9 pm on Wednesday, Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy, in his brief order, permitted the conduct of the meet, but refrained from restraining the EPS group from taking up any other fresh resolutions, which would ultimately result in unitary leadership.

The aggrieved group met Chief Justice M N Bhandari and obtained his permission to prefer an appeal against the order of the single judge. The CJ nominated Justice Duraiswamy and Sundar Mohan as the judges to make a special sitting and hear the appeal.

Accordingly, the bench sat at the senior judge's residence and commenced the hearing around 1 am and passed its orders around 4 am today, which effectively led to joy and jubilation in the OPS camp.

The internal rumblings of the AIADMK over the single leadership issue, with a majority of district secretaries and others favouring EPS to take over the mantle, had prompted Panneerselvam to write to the former seeking deferring Thursday's meet, even as speculations were rife that the GC and EC could discuss the matter to effect the unitary leadership.