Madras High Court will pronounce its order on Friday on the plea filed by AIADMK's legal wing against the assembly speaker's acceptance of six rebel legislators' resignations.
The six MLAs—Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabhama, Isakki Subbaya, Jayakumar, MR Vijayabaskar and C Vijayabaskar—had voted for the ruling TVK government during a trust vote, defying the AIADMK whip, resigned, and then joined TVK.
AIADMK's secretary and MP Inbadurai argued that the speaker should first address pending disqualification petitions and that the resignations were not entirely voluntary. The speaker, on the other hand, maintained that accepting resignations is a constitutional requirement separate from disqualification proceedings and that the resignations were genuine.
The ruling TVK government, which formed a minority administration with Congress, VCK, IUML and outside support from CPI and CPM, stands to gain strength if the former MLAs win the bypolls.
The court's verdict, due on Friday, will be closely watched because it could either validate the resignations and allow the MLAs to contest in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls, or void them and leave the seats in legal limbo. The bypoll results, announced the same day, will determine the MLAs' political fate.