Supreme Court refuses to stay expulsion of minister O Panneerselvam, three others from AIADMK

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay the expulsion of former Tamil Nadu deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and three others from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) during a general council meeting of the party held in July 2022.

"We are not inclined to interfere with judgement," a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said.

The bench said that there appears to be a split in the party and interfering in the matter would lead to unpalatable consequences.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, representing the Panneerselvam and other expelled members, pressed for a relief in the matter, as the general elections are around the corner.

“We hope trial in civil suit proceeds expeditiously, no order so far is an expression on merits,” the bench said.

Senior advocates Aryama Sundaram and CS Vaidyanathan, who appeared for E Palaniswamy, said they were ready to file written statement in the civil suit.

Venugopal insisted that the general elections are scheduled later this year and his clients are in a limbo, as the decision on the suit will consume a lot of time.

“I am not a politician neither do I understand politics…. Probably you put up a candidate of your choice, not yourself but through somebody…But know what will happen,” Justice Khanna said.

The bench said it would not be proper for the Supreme Court to direct the proceedings.

The petitioners filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging the August 2023 order by the Madras High Court, which upheld expulsion of O Panneerselvam and three others from AIADMK.

A division bench of the high court of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffi dismissed the appeals filed by OPS and his three supporters – JCD Prabhakar, R Vaithilingam, and PH Manoj Pandian – against a single bench’s refusal to stay the expulsion, saying “the appellants are not entitled for interim injunction/relief”.