Madras High Court Upholds AIADMK MLA Resignations to TVK

The Madras High Court upheld the decision of Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar to accept the resignations of six AIADMK MLAs who defected to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). A bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan ruled that the resignations were genuine and the Speaker was not required to conduct a roving inquiry into the members' motives.

While the court validated the resignations, it clarified that pending disqualification proceedings may continue. These proceedings were initiated after the MLAs allegedly voted for the TVK government in violation of the AIADMK party whip during the May 2026 elections. The court directed the Speaker to complete these proceedings within two months.

Joseph Vijay, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of the TVK, characterized recent by-election victories for defecting MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabhama as a rejection of money-power politics. Following the ruling, Health Minister K G Arunraj stated that the TVK is not actively seeking defections from the AIADMK, though the party remains open to legislators who leave the opposition due to internal party differences.