Chennai

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J. C. D. Prabhakar on Friday said legal proceedings had been initiated against four former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators who quit the party and later joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

The Speaker said notices seeking explanations from the four former MLAs were issued on June 9 following a petition filed by the AIADMK seeking their disqualification under the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law.

The legislators who received the notices are Maragatham Kumaravel, S. Jayakumar, P. Sathyabama, and Esakki Subaya.

The four had joined the TVK shortly after resigning from the AIADMK. They were among the 25 rebel legislators who voted in favour of the TVK government during the floor test held in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on May 13.

Speaking to reporters, Prabhakar said the former legislators had been given seven days to submit their explanations.

"Legal proceedings are underway regarding the MLAs who left the AIADMK. Formal notices have been issued to them," the Speaker said.

He emphasised that decisions regarding disqualification proceedings were being taken strictly within the framework of Assembly rules and based on official correspondence.

The Speaker also maintained that such decisions were independent of external political developments.

Meanwhile, the disqualification proceedings initiated against 21 other rebel AIADMK legislators have been dropped after the party withdrew its petition against them.

The group, led by former Tamil Nadu minister S. P. Velumani, recently met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and resolved their differences.

Following the meeting, the rebel faction agreed to function as part of a united AIADMK under the leadership of Palaniswami, paving the way for the withdrawal of disqualification proceedings against them.

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The notices issued to the four former MLAs now set the stage for the Assembly Secretariat to decide whether their actions attract disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with defections by elected representatives.