Chennai: Days after the Supreme Court-appointed third judge, Justice M Sathyanarayanan of the Madras High Court, upheld the disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK legislators owing allegiance to AMMK founder T T V Dhinakaran, Tamilnadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal has now directed them to vacate the MLAs’ residential quarters allotted to them and asked the authorities to lock and seal them.
A directive issued to the dissident MLAs by Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan said taking notice of their disqualification from the membership of the State Legislative Assembly, as per orders of the Speaker under the Members of the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on the grounds of Defection) Rules, 1986, read with the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and notified in the Government Gazette dated 18 September 2017, the disqualified MLAs were not entitled for any facilities provided to them, including residential quarters.
“Despite the orders of the disqualification, you have not vacated the MLAs’ residential quarters,” he said.
Under the directions of the Speaker, the quarters allotted to them were locked and sealed by the Secretariat, Srinivasan said, and asked the disqualified MLAs to take their personal belongings from the quarters in the presence of the Under Secretary (Hostel Administration) and vacate the premises.
He also asked the dissident MLAs to settle the pending rental dues immediately.
Photos: R Thiyagarajan