Chennai : For the ruling AIADMK, a setback came from the Supreme Court on Monday when it granted an interim stay on the Assembly speaker’s disqualification notice to three AIADMK MLAs.

The SC passed the order on a petition filed by the AIADMK MLAs, who could face disqualification if their explanation for their alleged anti-party activity by being close to breakaway AIADMK leader, TTV Dhinakaran.

Speaker P Dhanpal in the notice asked the MLAs — E Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) and VT Kalaiselvan (Virudhachalam)—sought an explanation for their alleged support to AMMK MLA TTV Dhinakaran. The speaker had even given proof of the MLAs support in his notice given at the instance of Chief government whip Rajendran and Tamil Nadu law minister C Ve Shanmugam.

The SC order an interim stay on the disqualification and directed the speaker to respond to the petition by the MLAs.

Interestingly, the notices to MLAs came even as the bye-election to 22 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Eighteen of these vacancies arose due to disqualification by speaker in 2017.

Meanwhile, the speaker also faces a no confidence motion against the speaker, moved by the DMK president MK Stalin. The DMK leader contended that decision to serve notice was practically altering the composition of the house and change the numbers game in favour of the ruling AIADMK.