Tamil Nadu Speaker gets two months to decide on AIADMK MLAs' disqualification

The Madras High Court has given Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker K. Ramamurthy a two-month deadline to act on pending disqualification petitions against six AIADMK members of the legislative assembly. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan issued the directive while hearing the matter.

The bench upheld the constitutional validity of the Speaker's acceptance of the six MLAs' resignations, setting aside challenges to the administrative process. The court's decision clarifies that the resignation acceptances were conducted in accordance with constitutional requirements and procedural norms.

The disqualification petitions, which seek to bar the MLAs from contesting elections for a specified period, now await the Speaker's determination. The two-month timeframe provides the Assembly's presiding officer a reasonable period to review the cases and issue formal orders.

The outcome will have implications for the political composition of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the AIADMK's legislative strength. The ruling represents a significant procedural milestone in the ongoing matter involving the six legislators who resigned from their seats.