Aryama Sundaram, Speaker P Dhanapal's lawyer,says they are happy with the decision of staying the floor test for now.
14:23 Aryama Sundaram, Speaker P Dhanapal's lawyer, says they are happy with the decision of staying the floor test for now.
14:03 DMK MLA J Anbazhagan says it's sad that the functions of the Governor are being performed by the court.
13:52 The case has been adjourned to October 4.
13:47 Madras HC says that no bypolls can be held for the seats of the18 disqualified MLAs. However, it has not imposed a stay on the disqualification.
13:40 The stay on a floor test is good news for the Dhinakaran camp. Had a confidence motion been held without the disqualified MLAs, the EPS-OPS camp would have coasted to victory.
13:30 The Madras High Court has said that there will be no floor test till it decides on the plea of the 18 disqualified AIADMK legislators.
13:28 The disqualified MLAs say they were not given enough time to explain themselves.
13:24 The DMK says a confidence motion should not be held before the court's order.
13:22 Apsara Reddy, AIADMK leader of the Dinakaran camp, tells CNN-News18 that the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami camp is working at the behest of the Modi government.
13:09 Lawyers of the TTV camp argue that a floor test shouldn't be conducted at this point when the 18 MLAs have been disqualified.
12:51 Opposition DMK and its working president MK Stalin will hold a meeting as soon as the Madras High Court hearing ends.
12:34 The lawyer for the disqualified MLAs says his clients are not jumping ship. Their only contention is that they do not have confidence in the existing AIADMK leadership. In such a scenario, the anti-defection law does not apply, according to the lawyer.
12:20 The hearing at the Madras High Court has begun.
12:15 There is still speculation that DMK legislators may resign en masse in a bid to force fresh elections. A lot depends on the High Court verdict.
12:07 Ten MLAs have filed individual pleas challenging their disqualification.
11:48 The hearing will take place at noon. A battery of high-profile lawyers including former Union ministers Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal will be in court.
11:11 The Madras High Court will hear the plea of 18 disqualified legislators today.
18:42 DMK issues two resolutions:
According to media reports, Tamil Nadu's principal opposition party, the DMK has issued two resolutions:
> Condemning usage of government events as political platforms by the AIADMK.
> Condemning the Speaker, Governor and the Chief Minister for 'anti-democratic actions'.
18:25 The DMK, in its resolution has condemned disqualification of 18 MLAs.
18:20 DMK adopts resolution
DMK MLAs have adopted resolution urging Tamil Nadu Cabinet Secretary and DGP to stay away from AIADMK's inner party affairs.
17:37 Local media reports are suggesting that DMK MLAs have been asked to stay in Chennai.
17:22 Meeting of the DMK MLAs has begun at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai. It is being chaired by the party's working president MK Stalin. They are likely to chart their future course of action.
17:12 Timeline of the Tamil Nadu political drama
The ongoing drama in Tamil Nadu's politics first began after the demise of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
From December 2016 to the merger of the two warring factions of the AIADMK, here's what happened. Read the full story here.
17:05 More trouble for CM Palaniswami?
Media reports are now suggesting that at least two senior AIADMK MLAs who are part of the Chief Minister Palaniswami-led camp, have demanded cabinet positions.
16:56 What next for the 18 MLAs?
The Madras High Court will be hearing an urgent plea on the disqualification of the 18 AIADMK MLAs who have rebelled against CM Palaniswami.
In an event where the High Court upholds their disqualification, fresh election will be held to within the next six months to replace those rebelling MLAs.
16:26 The meeting of DMK MLAs chaired by the party's working president MK Stalin will get underway in about half an hour from now.
15:49 Dhinakaran claimed that some other AIADMK legislators would also vote against the government during a possible floor test as they were against "betrayal".
15:17 DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said that no mass resignation was in order. "The move would only help the EPS-OPS faction, we can only appeal against the disqualification," he said.
14:50 Last night, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami asserted that his government could not be toppled, though some forces harboured such hopes.
"Some think the government can be toppled. That is never possible as workers and supporters have put in their hard work for its formation," he said.
14:26 Police sent to Coorg in Karnataka to hound my MLAs, says TTV Dinakaran.
14:03 Legally, we are very sound and we will get justice from the court, says TTV Dhinakaran with regard to the disqualification of 18 MLAs by the Tamil Nadu Speaker.
13:52 MK Stalin will chair a meeting of DMK legislators at 5pm today.
13:31 Former Union Minister P Chidambaram said the Tamil Naidu Speaker's decision to disqualify MLAs was blatantly partisan and aimed at helping a minority state government. "Nothing can save sinking ship," he tweeted.
12:58 The ruling AIADMK has 135 MLAs in the House, but faces a challenge from 18 rebel legislators led by TTV Dhinakaran.
12:45 The DMK currently has 89 legislators in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, while the Congress has eight representatives.
12:35 In addition, a bypoll also needs to be held for RK Nagar, the seat held by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. A bypoll scheduled for the seat in April was suspended following allegations of cash being distributed to voters.
12:30 If the High Court upholds the disqualification, then 18 bypolls will have to take place within the next six months to replace those MLAs.
12:20 A lot depends on the Madras HC hearing tomorrow where 18 AIADMK legislators have challenged the Speaker's decision to disqualify them.
12:15 DMK leader A Saravanan says there is no question of a mass resignation taking place.
12:10 According to News18 sources, DMK leaders are holding a meeting this evening to decide on their future course of action.
12:05 CNN-News18 reports that Opposition DMK and Congress MLAs are considering resigning en masse in an attempt to force the Governor to dissolve the House.
12:00 Singhvi said Speaker P Dhanapal's decision is also "liable to be challenged fully as being actuated if the court so holds...by mala fide, by a motivated desire to achieve a pre-decided result, because you know that there is already a proceeding pending in the High Court".
11:50 Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said every political party was monitoring the decision, but he adopted a cautious approach by saying that his party was not obliged to comment on another party.
"We have no hesitation in saying that the huge delay in action by the speaker and by the governor is something which would be seriously liable to be questioned in court and I will not go beyond that," he told reporters.
11:45 The Congress on Tuesday questioned the "huge delay" by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker and the Governor in disqualifying 18 AIADMK lawmakers under the anti- defection law, saying the decision is liable to be challenged in court.
11:40 The disqualified MLAs had on Monday told the governor that they had no confidence in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami, and accused him of being corrupt.
11:35 During the 20-minute meeting, the governor is believed to have apprised the home minister about the current political developments in the southern state, officials said.
11:30 Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, a day after 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs loyal to sidelined leader TTV Dhinakaran were disqualified under the anti-defection law.
Aryama Sundaram, Speaker P Dhanapal's lawyer,says they are happy with the decision of staying the floor test for now.
DMK MLAJ Anbazhagan says it's sad that the functions of the Governor arebeing performed by the court.
The case has been adjourned to October 4.
Madras HC says that no bypolls can be held fortheseats of the18 disqualified MLAs. However, it has not imposed a stay on the disqualification.
The stay on a floor test is good news for the Dhinakaran camp. Had a confidence motion been held without the disqualified MLAs, the EPS-OPS camp would have coasted to victory.
The Madras High Court has said that there will be no floor test till it decides on the plea of the 18 disqualified AIADMK legislators.
The disqualified MLAs say they were not given enough time to explain themselves.
The DMK says a confidence motion should not be held before the court's order.
Apsara Reddy, AIADMK leader of the Dinakaran camp, tells CNN-News18 that the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami camp is working at the behest of the Modi government.
Lawyers of the TTV camp argue that a floor test shouldn't be conducted at this point when the 18 MLAs have been disqualified.
Opposition DMK and its working president MK Stalin will hold ameeting as soon as the Madras High Court hearing ends.
The lawyer for the disqualified MLAs says his clients are not jumping ship. Their only contention is that they do not have confidence in the existing AIADMK leadership. In such a scenario, the anti-defection law does not apply, according to the lawyer.
The hearing at the Madras High Court has begun.
