High Court upholds order disqualifying 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs
Chennai, Oct 25 : The Madras High Court today upheld the June 14 order of the then Chief Justice disqualifying 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs, in a huge relief to the K Palaniswami government.
Justice M Sathyanarayanan heard the pleas of the rival parties after a bench of then Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar gave a split verdict on June 14.
The 18 disqualified MLAs are loyal to the sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, who has now formed his own party --the AMMK.
Justice Sathyanarayanan said there was no infirmity in the order of the Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, which was upheld by Banerjee.
"All the material that were available at the time of passing of the order by the Speaker alone have been taken into consideration and this court cannot go into the subsequent events," he observed while upholding their disqualification.
The 18 AIADMK MLAs were disqualified on September 18 last year under the anti-defection law after they met the governor and expressed loss of confidence in Chief Minister Palaniswami.
Following the split verdict, with Banerjee upholding the disqualification and Sundar setting it aside, Justice S Vimala was appointed to hear the petitions afresh.
However, the Supreme Court named Justice Sathyanarayanan to hear the matter, while declining to accept a prayer of the disqualified MLAs who raised apprehension of "bias". They had sought the matter to be transferred to the apex court.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Four South African cheetahs arrive at Bannerghatta Biological Park
Bengaluru: Four cheetahs, including two females, have arrived at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) from South Africa, NDTV reported.
The animals, brought from Induna Primate and Parrot Park in South Africa, landed at Kempegowda International Airport at around 1:15 am on Saturday. The transfer was carried out in accordance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, BBP said in a statement.
Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre received the cheetahs at the airport cargo terminal.
The Minister asked officials and veterinary teams to ensure strict quarantine protocols, a prescribed diet, and close health monitoring for 30 days to help the animals acclimate smoothly.
Highlighting that cheetahs, locally known as “Sivangi,” have disappeared from Karnataka’s forests, the minister stressed the need to raise public awareness through zoological institutions. He also instructed Dr Sunil Panwar, Member Secretary, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), to prioritise the safety and well-being of the animals.
The BBP officials said that before transportation, the cheetahs underwent thorough health inspections and quarantine in South Africa as per the guidelines of the Department of Animal Husbandry.
Required No Objection Certificates (NoC) were also obtained from Animal Quarantine Services prior to import.
"Upon arrival at BBP, the animals have been placed in a designated quarantine facility for post-import health checks and observation, after which they will be shifted to their enclosures for public viewing," the BBP said.
This import underscores BBP's commitment to international collaboration in wildlife conservation, scientific management of animals, and strict adherence to regulatory protocols. It further strengthens the park's role in ex-situ conservation and environmental education, official said.
