Defection Case Heats Up as Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker Calls Ex-MLAs to Court

Chennai – The Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, J.C.D. Prabhakar, has taken a decisive step in the ongoing defection controversy by issuing notices to four former ADMK legislators who have recently joined the Tamil Vanniyathara Kazhagam (TVK). The notices require the former MLAs to present themselves for hearings on November 10, 11 and 12, with the concluding arguments set for November 17. The Speaker will then rule on the pending disqualification petitions filed under the Constitution’s anti‑defection provisions.

The dispute originates from the confidence vote on May 13, when 25 ADMK members were accused of breaking party discipline by voting for the government. Chief whip Agri Krishnamurthy lodged a petition seeking cancellation of their seats. Although the party’s General Secretary K. Palaniswami later retracted the complaint against 21 of those legislators, four who subsequently resigned from ADMK and aligned with TVK remained under scrutiny.

Two more legislators, M.R. Vijayabhaskar and C. Vijayabhaskar, also tendered their resignations, expanding the number of cases awaiting resolution to six. The Madras High Court ruled that the resignations were genuine and voluntary, affirming the procedural correctness of the withdrawals.

Following the High Court’s order that the Speaker resolve the outstanding disqualification petitions within a two‑month timeframe, the Speaker accelerated the process, scheduling individual hearings for the four ex‑ADMK members and inviting counsel for the party secretary, K. Palaniswami, to argue their case.

The stakes are high. Two of the legislators, Marghatham Kumaravel and Satyabama, have already won by‑elections on TVK tickets. A disqualifying decision could nullify their current assembly membership and affect their eligibility for future contests, potentially altering the political landscape of Tamil Nadu and the emerging influence of TVK. The November 17 hearing is poised to become a landmark moment in the state’s political saga.