Supreme Court upholds Madras HC order, allows EPS to continue as interim general secretary of AIADMK

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the order of the Madras High Court which allowed Edappadi Palaniswami to continue as the interim general secretary of the AIADMK.

A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheswari and Hrishikesh Roy had reserved judgment on the matter on January 12.

The top court dismissed the petitions filed by O Paneerselvam.

The judgement came on a batch of pleas concerning amendments made to the party by-laws during the July 11, 2022, general council meeting.

‘Betrayers’ unmasked: EPS

Elated over the Supreme Court verdict allowing him to continue as the AIADMK's top leader, Palaniswami said the ruling has unmasked "betrayers" and the "DMK's B-team" that wanted to finish off his party.

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The favourable apex court was a result of the 'divinity' of party stalwarts, the late Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, he said at a mass wedding ceremony in Madurai.

In a veiled attack at his rival O Panneerselvam, a grinning Palaniswami said "some Ettappars (a Tamil reference to betrayers) who worked as DMK's B-team and wanted to finish off the AIADMK have been unmasked today. Many said AIADMK has no future (in the wake of the 2021 electoral defeat and in-party squabbles) and all that has ended with verdicts by the Supreme Court and the High Court," he said.

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The AIADMK is no more "three or four," but was one united entity, he said, even as he exuded confidence of the party winning the February 27 Erode East by-poll.

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