HC bench dismisses all pleas against EPS faction

A division bench of the Madras high court on Thursday dismissed a contempt application seeking to punish former Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Edappadi K Palaniswami and his supporters for alleged non-implementation of its earlier orders.

The bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and Sundar Mohan also dismissed the applications to stay the general council meeting of the AIADMK scheduled to be held on July 11 and the one against Tamil Magan Hussain, who had been nominated as the permanent presidium chairman of the party at the June 23 general council meet of the party.

Since their orders passed in the wee hours of June 23 had been stayed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the judges said they were dismissing the applications and petitions.

The bench, however, granted liberty to Shanmugham of Tiruppur, a general council member, to revive his pleas, in the event of him succeeding in the apex court.

Originally, Shanmugam had moved the high court to punish AIADMK's then Co-ordinator O Panneerselvam, Palaniswami and others including former minister and GC member Shanmugam, besides Hussain and K P Munusamy under the Contempt of Court Act for allegedly violating the June 23 orders of the bench.

The interim prayer was to stay the appointment of Tamil Magan Hussain as the permanent Presidium Chairman at the general council meeting, which was held on June 23 and to restrain him from acting in that capacity.

The other one was to restrain the respondents from conducting the general council meeting on July 11, which all stands dismissed now.

The apex court had on Wednesday stayed the HC order which restrained passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the June 23 AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party.

The general council is the party's highest decision-making body.

In a fallout of the single leadership demand in the party, the dominant EPS faction has said Panneerselvam ceased to be the Coordinator and the former the joint coordinator following the June 23 general council meet.

The EPS faction has also summoned the next GC on July 11, ostensibly to elect Palaniswami as the single leader that day.