TN Govt. Moves SC After Governor Rejects Ministerial Reinstatement of K Ponmudy

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu Government moved the Supreme Court contesting Governor RN Ravi’s decision to deny the reinstatement of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and MLA K Ponmudy as a minister in the state cabinet.

Senior Advocate AM Singhvi brought up the request for an expedited hearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who assured him that the bench would review it.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi declined to endorse Chief Minister MK Stalin’s proposal to appoint K Ponmudy as a minister following his reinstatement as an MLA.

In the petition, the Tamil Nadu government has requested the top court to issue directives to appoint Thiru K Ponmudi as a Minister of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu government argued that the Governor’s letter, rejecting the Chief Minister’s plea to appoint Ponmudi as the Higher Education Minister, constitutes a clear violation of Article 164(1) of the Constitution and should be nullified.

The Tamil Nadu government, led by MK Stalin, asserted that the governor is endeavoring to operate a parallel government and is trying to select a minister based on his subjective assessment of suitability, which is impermissible.

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

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

Ponmudy once more held the position of Minister for Higher Education and Mines during the DMK regime from 2006 to 2011.

Previously, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu reinstated Ponmudy and confirmed that Ponmudy’s membership has been reinstated in the state assembly. However, the governor has stated his inability to reappoint Ponmudy as a minister.