Chennai, Mar 22:
DMK leader K Ponmudi is set to be sworn in as a minister in the Tamil Nadu cabinet on Friday. This comes a day after the Supreme Court voiced “serious concern” over the conduct of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for his refusal to reinduct the party leader.
Ponmudi’s swearing-in ceremony will be held at 3.30 pm today. On Thursday, the Supreme Court also directed the Governor to decide the issue within 24 hours.
Tamil Nadu Governor K.N. Ravi informed the Supreme Court that he will re-induct K. Ponmudy as a Minister in the State Cabinet today, a day after the top court slammed the Governor for defying its order.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Governor, informed the the Supreme Court that Ponmudy would be invited to be sworn in as Minister at 3.30 p.m. on March 22, 2024.
The Governor clarified to the Supreme Court that he had no intention to cross the top court.
Ravi had earlier refused to administer oath to Mr. Ponmudy as Higher Education Minister, saying it was against “constitutional morality”. The Governor has ventured that the apex court’s stay of the conviction of Mr. Ponmudy on March 8 did not rub off the fact that he had indeed been convicted of moral turpitude.
“We are seriously concerned about the conduct of the Governor in this case. We did not want to say it aloud in court. He is defying the Supreme Court of India… When a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of Ponmudy, the Governor had no business to tell us that the suspension order did not wipe out the conviction or made it non-existent,” a visibly annoyed Chief Justice Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, said on March 21.
The Bench had given the Governor overnight time to rethink his decision, before pronouncing its order.
