Chennai: Madras High Court on Friday dismissed appeals filed by former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and suspended AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) seeking stay on his expulsion from the party. Justices R Mahadevan & Mohammed Shaffiq of Madras High Court dismissed the pleas filed against a single judge's refusal to interfere with the July 11, 2022, AIADMK general council resolution expelling OPS from the party.


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Responding to the judgement by the division bench of the High Court, Advocate Inbadurai, representing AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) said, "Today the division bench rendered a judgement stating that AIADMK general council's resolutions are valid. So hereafter AIADMK will be headed only by Edappadiyar. He will be the leader of AIADMK. That is approved by the High Court order."


"We only argued that AIADMK's general council is the superior authority. And this superior authority has decided Edappadiyar to be the leader and it was now accepted by the High Court," he added.


In a General Council meeting of AIADMK held on July 11, the dual-leadership model in the AIADMK was ended and OPS was expelled from the party for "anti-party" activities during the party meeting. In the meeting, Edapaddi Palaniswami (EPS) was elevated as the interim General Secretary of the party.


The Election Commission of India later approved EPS as the general secretary of AIADMK. The poll body's decision came after the Madras High Court in March rejected applications filed by AIADMK's expelled leader O Panneerselvam and refused to interfere with his expulsion from the party.