The Madras High Court on Thursday set aside an order of a city civil court that had dismissed former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s application seeking rejection of a petition challenging his election as the general secretary of the AIADMK.
The dispute originated when Suryamoorthy, a resident of Dindigul claiming to be an AIADMK member, moved the Chennai Civil Court against the party’s general council resolutions passed on July 11, 2022, including the announcement of Palaniswami as the party chief. He questioned the validity of the election and the decisions taken at the meeting.
In response, Palaniswami filed an application seeking dismissal of the case on the ground that the petitioner lacked locus standi. However, the civil court dismissed Palaniswami’s plea, allowing the matter to proceed.
Justice P.B. Balaji, hearing the appeal, overturned the civil court’s order. The High Court ruled that Suryamoorthy had no standing to question internal party matters, since he was not an AIADMK member after 2018. It also took note of the fact that he had contested against the party’s candidate in the 2021 Assembly elections from Edappadi, further weakening his claim of being a party member.
Consequently, the High Court dismissed the case filed by Suryamoorthy in the lower court, bringing relief to Palaniswami.
During the proceedings, Palaniswami’s counsel stressed that only a legitimate party member could challenge internal decisions. The court agreed with this reasoning, holding that a non-member could not raise disputes over the functioning and resolutions of the AIADMK’s general council.
