The Madras High Court raised questions about former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s (EPS) claim as the general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the heading of an affidavit, while the main case concerning his election to the post remains unresolved.
Justice CV Karthikeyan, during the hearing of a series of petitions filed by ousted AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam, Vaithilingam, Manoj Pandian, and JCD Prabhakar, challenged the legitimacy of Palaniswami’s claim. These petitions contest EPS’s election as the general secretary of the AIADMK and the resolutions passed during the general council meeting that facilitated his election.
The petitioners argued that EPS had previously identified himself as the joint coordinator of the party in earlier petitions but now claimed to be the general secretary, despite the ongoing legal dispute over the election. The court expressed skepticism over the accuracy of the title used by Palaniswami’s counsel in the affidavit.
Justice Karthikeyan questioned why Palaniswami’s counsel had referred to him as the general secretary in the cause title while the case was still pending. The counsel for EPS contended that referring to his client as the joint coordinator would infringe upon his rights.
Following these submissions, the judge instructed EPS to file a revised petition with an appropriately amended cause title. Additionally, the judge questioned how the court registry had accepted an affidavit with what appeared to be a misleading cause title.
The matter has been adjourned to August 7 for further hearing.