Stay on TN Assembly floor test extended
Bypoll for vacant 18 constituencies only after Oct. 4: HC
While restraining the government from holding a floor test until further orders, the Madras High Court directed the authorities not to hold a byelection to any of the 18 Assembly Constituencies that became vacant pursuant to the disqualification of 18 MLAs by the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
A batch of petitions, including those from the 18 disqualified legislators belonging to the T.T.V. Dhinakaran group and other petition filed by DMK seeking a floor test, came up for hearing before Justice M. Duraiswamy on Wednesday. The judge passed an interim order stating that there shall not be any election notification for conducting the poll for the 18 Legislative Assembly Constituencies pursuant to the order of Speaker dated September 18, 2017 until further orders of this court.
Earlier, on September 14, the judge had stayed the conduct of the floor test until September 20 on a plea from the T.T.V. group MLAs.
Appearing for the Chief Minister, senior lawyer C.S. Vaidyanathan said that there is no need for elaborate arguments as the CM has not ordered for floor test and no such situation has arisen so far. Layer for Governor Rakesh Diwedi said the Assembly stands prorogued as of today and CM has not so far called for a floor test. The judge posted that matter to October 4 for a final hearing.