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Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar on Wednesday stated that a verdict regarding the disqualification of MLAs would be delivered within two months, in compliance with the Madras High Courts order.
Addressing reporters at a private college in Kundrathur near Chennai, the Speaker informed that an inquiry into the matter was already underway. He explained that the proceedings were put on hold due to the announcement of a bypoll election. The Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker stated that the inquiry over the disqualification matter had reached its final stage. Prabhakar clarified that both parties, comprising the AIADMK factions who filed the complaints and those required to respond to them, would be heard in person. The Speaker noted that one round of inquiry had already been conducted and that the authorities were awaiting the next stage of the proceedings. Speaking on Assembly operations, the Speaker stated that the Legislative Assembly would convene once every six months and assured that a session would certainly be held whenever necessary. Prabhakar's remarks came after the Madras High Court upheld Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakars decision to accept the resignations of six AIADMK MLAs who defected to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The MLAs are Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabama, Isakki Subbaiah, Jayakumar, MR Vijayabhaskar and C Vijayabhaskar. The Bench held that the acceptance was constitutionally valid and that there was no need for a roving inquiry. It also ruled that disqualification proceedings against the MLAs can continue. The disqualification plea was filed over allegations that the six MLAs voted in support of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government in violation of the party whip. In its plea, petitioners alleged that the resignations were accepted without a proper inquiry while disqualification proceedings against the legislators were pending. Earlier, Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar accepted the resignations of the six AIADMK MLAS. In this backdrop, AIADMK Whip Agri Krishnamurthy and National People's Power Party leader Ravi had filed cases seeking to quash the Speaker's order accepting their resignations. The Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arulmurugan heard the cases. The Petitioners alleged the Speaker conducted no meaningful inquiry and also pointed to a complaint made to the Governor regarding horse-trading. On the other side, the resigned MLAs argued that resigning and joining another party is democratic politics. (ANI)
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