18 MLAs’disqualification case: Justice Vimala named third judge

Her role in the case would be more of a tie-breaker judge as the two teams contesting the case are level at one each. As the third judge, her verdict will be akin to a best-of-three scenario, wherein the majority decision will seal the fate of the case.

If she decides that Chief Justice Indira Banerjee was justified in holding that there was no illegality in the Speaker’s decision, then the disqualification of the 18 MLAs will hold good. Contrarily, if she finds reason in Justice M Sundar’s judgment that the Speaker’s order ought to be quashed, then the disqualification of the 18 MLAs will stand negated.

The first bench of the Chief Justice and Justice Sundar had on June 14, delivered a split verdict in the case. Thereafter, on taking a moral stand that since she was part of the bench, which delivered the split verdict, it would not be fair on her part to name the third judge, the CJ referred the matter to the second most senior judge to name a third judge. Accordingly, Justice Huluvadi Ramesh appointed Justice Vimala as the third judge, which was communicated to her by the Madras HC registry on Monday evening. Justice Vimala has the distinction of being the first Mahila Court judge in Chennai in 2002 and the first woman to become the director of the State Judicial Academy in 2006.