In a key legal development, the Chennai Civil Court has dismissed the petition filed by AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), which sought to quash a case challenging his election as the party’s General Secretary.
EPS was elected as the AIADMK General Secretary during the party’s General Council meeting held on July 11, 2022. In the same meeting, resolutions were passed expelling O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and his supporters from the party.
Following this, a party cadre from Dindigul, Suryamoorthy, filed a case in the Chennai Civil Court seeking to nullify EPS’s appointment as General Secretary, arguing that the resolutions passed in the 2022 meeting were invalid.
In response, EPS filed a petition in the same court requesting that the case be dismissed. However, when the matter came up for hearing today, the judge rejected EPS’s petition.
The court observed that the post of General Secretary must be elected by the primary members of the party and noted that the case challenging the appointment was valid and could proceed.
This ruling marks another significant turn in the ongoing leadership tussle within the AIADMK, reaffirming that the matter is still open to judicial scrutiny and that the appointment process should adhere to democratic norms within the party.