Supreme Court backs T.N. Speaker’s decision to drop disqualification proceedings against AIADMK MLAs
The Supreme Court of India has declined to intervene in a case challenging the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker's decision to drop disqualification proceedings against AIADMK legislators. The court ruled that the petitioner lacked the legal standing to challenge the internal political decisions of the party.
Why it matters
This decision reinforces the autonomy of legislative speakers and limits the ability of third parties to interfere in internal political party disputes under the anti-defection law.
The Supreme Court on Friday (October 9, 2026) declined to intervene in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker’s decision to close disqualification proceedings against a group of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( AIADMK) legislators who had supported C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam ( TVK)-led government during the trust vote in May. The court observed that the Speaker’s decision could not be challenged by an “interloper”.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana dismissed a plea filed by advocate P.V. Selvakumar, while observing that the sanctity of the constitutional mandate under the Tenth Schedule, which contains the anti-defection law, must be preserved.
“We are fully with you that sanctity of constitutional mandate must be preserved. But we must understand workings of a democratic system,” the Bench said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in