DMK takes floor test to High Court

The DMK, which created largescale ruckus over Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal’s failure to concede to a secret ballot has sought the court to declare the floor test as null and void. After the first bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan assumed their sitting on Monday, senior advocate and former DMK Rajya Sabha MP R Shanmugasundaram made a mention about the issue and sought an urgent hearing as the Speaker’s decision ignoring the sense of the House for a secret ballot, was contrary to established procedure. 

The bench which refused to take up the issue urgently directed the advocate to move his petition and that it will be heard on Tuesday. The plea being moved on behalf of DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin revolves around the aspect that the Speaker should not have conducted the floor test with the ‘captured’ MLAs, without giving them the full freedom to exercise their franchise, to reflect the mind of the public in their respective Assembly constituency.

The plea also submitted that the Speaker should not have conducted the voting process by forcibly evicting the members of the all the Opposition parties from the Assembly hall, with support of outside police force.

The plea also submitted that the Speaker should not have conducted the voting process by forcibly evicting the members of the all the Opposition parties from the Assembly hall, with support of outside police force.

Disallowing secret ballot creates suspicion on the Speaker’s role, who praised the ruling party and its leaders and finally making a wild allegation based on his community against DMK, shows the total perversity and predetermined mind to prevent DMK MLAs from casting their valuable vote, Stalin added.