Tamil Nadu Govt moves SC after Governor Ravi refuses to reinstate K Ponmudy as minister

New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): The Tamil Nadu Government on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of Governor RN Ravi, who refused to reinstate Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and MLA K Ponmudy as a minister in the state cabinet.

Senior Advocate AM Singhvi mentioned the plea seeking an urgent hearing before the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who assured him that the bench would see it.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has refused to accept the recommendation of Chief Minister MK Stalin to appoint K Ponmudy as a minister after he was reinstated as an MLA.

In the plea, the Tamil Nadu government has urged the top court to issue directions to appoint Thiru K Ponmudi as a Minister of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu government submitted that the letter of the Governor refusing to accede to the Chief Minister’s request to appoint Ponmudi as the Higher Education Minister amounts to a blatant breach of Article 164(1) of the Constitution and is liable to be set aside.

The MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government said that the governor is attempting to run a parallel government and is attempting to choose a minister as per his subjective assessment of suitability, which is impermissible.

Disqualified Tamil Nadu minister and DMK senior leader K Ponmudy was reinstated days after the Supreme Court held his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a disproportionate asset case on March 13.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption registered a case against Ponmudy and his wife, Visalakshi, in 2011.

Ponmudy again assumed the position of minister for higher education and mines during the DMK regime from 2006 to 2011. He again assumed the position of minister for higher education and mines during the DMK regime from 2006 to 2011.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu reinstated Ponmudy and said Ponmudy’s membership has been restored in the state assembly.

The governor has expressed his inability to appoint Ponmudy as a minister again.