Chennai, Sep 20 The Madras High Court (HC) on Monday dismissed a writ petition filed against the Election Commission (EC) for accepting the amendments made to the constitution of the AIADMK.
The two-judge bench of the Madras HC comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu dismissed the petition filed by Advocate B. Ramkumar Adityan of Thoothukudi.
The petitioner had claimed that he had joined the AIADMK in the presence of its former General Secretary late J. Jayalalithaa in Kovilpatti on December 6, 2000. He said he renewed the party's membership in 2014 which expired in 2019 and could not be renewed as the party did not take any steps for its renewal.
After the death of Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK General Council appointed V.K. Sasikala, the close aide of Jayalalithaa as the Interim General Secretary, the petitioner added. He said the EC could not approve her appointment as well as the resolutions passed in the party's General Council meeting held on December 29, 2016.
After the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala in a disproportionate assets case and sent her to jail, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran was appointed the Deputy General Secretary but due to factional feuds in the party, the EC froze the two leaves symbol of the AIADMK in March 2017, the petitioner added.
He said in the AIADMK General Council meeting held on September 12, 2017, as many as 12 resolutions were passed, adding that one of the resolutions was to substitute the post of the powerful General Secretary with Coordinator and Joint Coordinator of the party.
Adityan said AIADMK leaders O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi. K. Palaniswami assumed office as the party Coordinator and Joint Coordinator, respectively, and said this major change in the AIADMK constitution has to be cancelled.
The bench refused to buy the petitioner's argument and said the EC's acceptance of the amendments to the party rules did not appear to be out of order. The court held that such acceptance was done on the basis of communication received from representatives of authorised political parties.
The Court also announced that the EC was not expected to interfere in the internecine issues of every party and find out whether the rules and regulations of that party were followed scrupulously.
The Madras HC said if the petitioner has still any grievance he could approach the civil court seeking appropriate remedy against the AIADMK.
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