Chennai: Hearing on the petition filed by 18 rebel AIADMK legislators against their disqualification in Madras High Court has been adjourned till November 2 with directives that no floor test should be conducted in the House till further orders.

The rebel MLAs owing allegiance to the ousted leader TTV Dhinakaran had moved the court against Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal disqualifying them for withdrawing support to the Edappadi Palaniswami Government.

The court while hearing the petition today also directed that elections in these 18 constituencies should not be held till further orders.

Counsel for legislators Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the petitioners were only against Palaniswami’s government and had not moved to another party and so did not attract the anti-defection law.

The disqualification was unconstitutional and the MLAs had ‘lost their political life because of the Speaker’s order’, he argued.

Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Dhanapal, sought early hearing of the Opposition DMK’s plea for a floor test in the House. He said disqualification was as per the law and within the rights of the Speaker.

Justice K Ravichandrababu posted the case to November 2 and ordered filing of affidavits and counter ones before October 23.