Justice Ramasamy directs registry to list AIADMK cases before him

CHENNAI: After two litigants jointly made a representation to the Madras High Court’s Chief Justice M N Bhandari on Wednesday to constitute a special bench to hear all the suits related to the AIADMK party, Justice Krishnan Ramasamy, who is hearing several suits pertaining to the AIADMK, had directed the registry to list all the AIADMK cases before him on September 9.

The judge passed the orders on hearing the original side appeal filed by advocate B Ramkumar Adityan and KC Suren Palanisamy. When the matters were taken up, the judge came down heavily on the appellants for approaching the CJ to list all the matters before a special bench.

The judge observed that it is inappropriate to make representation before the CJ for listing a set of cases before a special bench when the case was already listed and being heard by him.

This is the second time Justice Krishnasamy comes out with such an observation in the open court. Earlier, when former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wrote to the CJ to list his civil suit against the July 11 AIADMK General Council meeting before some other judges than Justice Krishnan Ramasamy. After observing that OPS shall not scandalize the judiciary and undermine its authority, Justice Ramasamy directed the registry to place the suit before the CJ to list before an appropriate judge.

Later it was listed before Justice G Jayachandran and he nullified the July 11 GC meeting of AIADMK. While the appeal filed by Edappadi K Palaniswami against the single judge’s order will be heard by a division bench of HC on Thursday, Justice Ramasamy made this direction.

It is noted that Ramkumar Adityan and Suren Palanisamy filed the suit challenging the amendments brought in AIADMK bye-laws in the GC meeting held on September 12, 2017, for creating coordinator and joint coordinator posts in AIADMK.

In their suit, they further challenged amendment done in the bye-laws of AIADMK in an Executive Committee meeting on December 1, 2021, to elect the coordinator and joint coordinator on a single ticket, and the subsequent election held on December 6, 2021. They are also challenging the intra-party elections held in AIADMK and the June 23 GC meeting.

In his representation to the CJ, Ramkumar Adityan and Suren Palanisamy noted that there are five other suits also filed in connection with the AIADMK. “While some directions were issued in a few suits, some are still pending. Therefore, in order to do justice to all the parties and to avoid multiplicity of legal proceedings, it is prayed to constitute a Special Bench to hear cases related to the AIADMK, ” the duo said in the representation.