OPS Vs Sasikala: Madras HC refuses to take up case on 130 ‘missing’ MLAs
- Voter from Kunnam says his MLA has gone missing, can't contact
- Wife of an MLA says ‘Please find my husband.'
- 130 MLAs taken away by Sasikala supporters to hotel, farmhouse
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Soon after a party meeting on Wednesday afternoon, 130 MLAs of AIADMK who attended the meeting convened by Sasikala were herded into three buses and were taken to a star hotel at an undisclosed location.
The High Court refused to take up the emergency petition of the voter in this regard. Thus as per the court’s suggestion a Habeas Corpus was filed in the HC.
Also Read: MLAs supporting Sasikala taken to an undisclosed location
In the Habeas Corpus, the voter, represented by PMK lawyer Balu, claimed that his MLA did not even have a change of clothes and no one can make contacts with him.
However, the Additional Public Prosecutor relied on the Habeas Corpus that all MLAs taken in the bus were safe. They are at the MLA hostel, he said.
Held captive?
Meanwhile, taking the side of the voter, activist Traffic Ramaswamy said that 130 MLAs were being held captive against their will and their safety was at stake. He asked the court to direct the persons concerned to release them with immediate effect.
Sources said that the judge had even asked the petitioner if the MLAs were not living in luxury in the farmhouse/hotel.
Lawyer Balu, who represented the petitioner is said to have replied the judge that, whoever is taken captive might be in a comfortable hotel. But they do not have any clothes to change nor can they contact anyone.
Another Habeas Corpus was filed on Thursday afternoon by the Krishnarayanapuram MLA’s wife Geetha. “Please get me in touch with my husband,” she said.
The ‘taking away’ of the MLAs was a strategy followed by Sasikala following a revolt by incumbent CM Panneerselvam on Wednesday. Sasikala convened a meeting which was attended by 130 MLAs and as she feared of them supporting Pannerselvam, who is also a claimant of the Chief Minister’s post, herded the MLAs directly from the AIADMK headquarters to the secret hotel and farmhouse.
Thus, if the MLAs who were taken away still support Sasikala, she will have the majority. But Panneerselvam is confident that the representatives of people will support him. Both Sasikala and Pannerselvam are slated to meet the Governor at 5 pm today.
