Tamil Nadu: Speaker Sends Notices to Four Ex-MLAs for Defying Whip
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar confirmed on June 12 that notices were issued on June 9 to four former AIADMK MLAs — S. Jayakumar, P. Sathyabama, Maragatham Kumaravel, and Esaki Subaya — for voting in favour of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government during a confidence vote on May 13, despite a party whip directing them to vote against the motion.
Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat in Chennai, Mr. Prabhakar said the four former MLAs have been given seven days from the date of the notice to respond. The move follows their defection from the AIADMK after they cross-voted, leading to their disqualification earlier.
In a separate development, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has reopened its investigation into an alleged ₹27.9-crore bribery case against former Minister for Housing and Urban Development R. Vaithilingam. The agency had registered a case against him on September 19, 2024, for offences allegedly committed while he served as Minister in former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet between 2011 and 2016. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier filed a protest petition in the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai, objecting to the DVAC's move to close the case. Mr. Vaithilingam resigned his MLA post in January 2026 before joining the DMK.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on June 12 announced a Kuruvai special package for paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta districts and other areas of the State, at a cost of ₹134.83 crore. According to an official release, paddy is cultivated on 52.72 lakh acres across Tamil Nadu. In the Cauvery delta region and parts of Cuddalore, Tiruchi, and Ariyalur districts, paddy is cultivated annually on 20.65 lakh acres, of which an average of 5.14 lakh acres is cultivated during the Kuruvai season.
