Opposition DMK has kept the Tamil Nadu government, its trust vote and fissures within AIADMK under sharp focus and is doing all it can do keep it floating around in peoples memory. The twin-pronged attack of DMK working president MK Stalin does not spare even the breakaway AIADMK grouping led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam as “he was a silent partner in everything that the AIADMK and its leaders did before the death of Jayalalithaa.”

As part of that strategy, the DMK had questioned the conduct of the speaker P Dhanapal and took him to court, seeking that the trust he conducted be declared null and void.

The Madras High Court took up the case for hearing, had asked for raw footage of assembly proceedings, and on Monday issued notices to the Tamil Nadu assembly speaker and assembly secretary returnable on March 10, directing the duo to submit their replies to the allegations levelled against the duo by the opposition.

The trust vote conducted earlier this month enabled the Edapadi Palanisamy to pass the floor test with ease after the opposition was evicted from the house. The Madras High court bench comprising acting chief justice Huluvadi Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan issued the notices to the speaker and assembly secretary, returnable on March 10, by which they have to file counter affidavits.

The DMK had challenged the trust vote through a petition in the Madras High Court on February 20, alleging that the speaker Dhanpal had been blatantly partial to the ruling party and evicted the opposition from the house.

The house witnessed violent protests from the DMK benches, when its MLAs surrounded the speaker, damaged tables and chairs and pulled out the microphones of the speaker. He was also seen being pulled by an MLA as also one MLA sat on the speaker’s chair, as per the TV footage aired on television channels.

The trust vote was necessitated after O Panneerselvam revolted against VK Sasikala, the new AIADMK General Secretary who wanted to become the chief minister herself. But a day before her coronation, OPS revolted and even Sasikala got herself disqualified to hold the post after Supreme Court confirmed her sentence in the disproportionate assets case.

Edappadi Palanisamy was elected as an alternate leader in place of Sasikala and was called to form the government after he claimed support of 122 MLAs. But was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the house within 15 days.

The Chief Minister took the floor test within three days and won it with ease, with a margin of 122 – 11 as his group held firm. OPS had just a mere 11 MLAs supporting him. He has since been expelled from the primary membership of the AIADMK.