The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party against the notice of Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker disqualifying the three All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) MLAs for supporting Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dinakaran.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi agreed to hear the plea on May 6.

This decision came after the senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing on the behalf of DMK, pleaded for an early hearing in the matter.

Sibal also told the apex court that speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly P&nbsp;Dhanapal himself had faced no-confidence motion while issuing a notice to three AIADMK MLAs, namely Rathinasabapathy, MLA of Aranthangi constituency, VT Kalaiselvan from Virudhachalam constituency, and VT Prabhu from Kallakuruchi constituency.

DMK president MK&nbsp;Stalin had claimed that the ruling AIADMK had sought to disqualify the three MLAs because the intelligence agencies had warned the government that retaining them in the party would have an "unfavourable outcome" in the bypoll to the 22 Assembly constituencies.

The chief whip of AIADMK S&nbsp;Rajendran had on April 26 met Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P&nbsp;Dhanapal and filed a petition to take action against three party MLAs on account of their "anti-party activities."Rajendran has accused the MLAs of working for Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam(AMMK) General Secretary TTV&nbsp;Dhinakaran.

Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 members, the DMK has 88, the Congress has eight, while the IUML and the Independent members represent one constituency each.

In 2017, a total of 19 AIADMK MLAs had submitted a letter to then Governor CV Raowithdrawing support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

As a retort, Rajendran asked Dhanapal to disqualify the MLAs stating that their actions amounted to voluntarily giving up their party membership.

Tamil Nadu Speaker had on September 18 disqualified 18 MLAs belonging to AIADMK. By-elections for these 18 seats were held on April 18 this year.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party against the notice of Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker disqualifying the three All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) MLAs for supporting Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dinakaran.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party against the notice of Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker disqualifying the three All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) MLAs for supporting Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dinakaran. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi agreed to hear the plea on May 6. This decision came after the senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing on the behalf of DMK, pleaded for an early hearing in the matter. Sibal also told the apex court that speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly P Dhanapal himself had faced no-confidence motion while issuing a notice to three AIADMK MLAs, namely Rathinasabapathy, MLA of Aranthangi constituency, VT Kalaiselvan from Virudhachalam constituency, and VT Prabhu from Kallakuruchi constituency. DMK president MK Stalin had claimed that the ruling AIADMK had sought to disqualify the three MLAs because the intelligence agencies had warned the government that retaining them in the party would have an "unfavourable outcome" in the bypoll to the 22 Assembly constituencies. The chief whip of AIADMK S Rajendran had on April 26 met Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P Dhanapal and filed a petition to take action against three party MLAs on account of their "anti-party activities."Rajendran has accused the MLAs of working for Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam(AMMK) General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran. Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 members, the DMK has 88, the Congress has eight, while the IUML and the Independent members represent one constituency each. In 2017, a total of 19 AIADMK MLAs had submitted a letter to then Governor CV Raowithdrawing support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. As a retort, Rajendran asked Dhanapal to disqualify the MLAs stating that their actions amounted to voluntarily giving up their party membership. Tamil Nadu Speaker had on September 18 disqualified 18 MLAs belonging to AIADMK. By-elections for these 18 seats were held on April 18 this year.

Supreme Court agrees to hear DMK's plea against disqualification of 3 AIADMK MLAs

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP A. Navaneethakrishnan on Thursday threatened that he will commit suicide if the Centre failed to constitute a Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by the March 29.

Stressing on the constitution of the CMB by the dateline fixed by the Supreme Court, the MNP told ANI that, "Yes I had threatened to commit suicide if the Centre failed to constitute a Cauvery Management Board by the March 29."

Earlier on March 28, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswani expressed hope that the Centre will set up the CMB in the promised time.

"The Supreme Court has given a verdict for the formation of the (CMB) in six weeks time and there is still time left," said the minister.

The apex court on February 16 ordered the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks.

However, the apex court's verdict decreased Tamil Nadu's share in the water body, much to the dismay of the people of the state.&nbsp

Earlier on March 28, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswani expressed hope that the Centre will set up the CMB in the promised time.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP A. Navaneethakrishnan on Thursday threatened that he will commit suicide if the Centre failed to constitute a Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by the March 29. Stressing on the constitution of the CMB by the dateline fixed by the Supreme Court, the MNP told ANI that, "Yes I had threatened to commit suicide if the Centre failed to constitute a Cauvery Management Board by the March 29." Earlier on March 28, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswani expressed hope that the Centre will set up the CMB in the promised time. "The Supreme Court has given a verdict for the formation of the (CMB) in six weeks time and there is still time left," said the minister. The apex court on February 16 ordered the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks. However, the apex court's verdict decreased Tamil Nadu's share in the water body, much to the dismay of the people of the state.

Cauvery row: AIADMK MP threatens to commit suicide

A Delhi Court on Wednesday granted bail to Advocate B&nbsp;Kumar, one of the accused in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) two leaves symbol bribery case.

The High Court also directed Kumar to furnish a personal bond of Rs&nbsp;50,000.

B&nbsp;Kumar was the lawyer Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa&#39;s lawyer.

In January, with a lookout circular (LOC) issued Kumar was stopped at Chennai airport on his way to the US.Earlier in the day, TTV Dinakaran appeared before

Delhi&#39;s Patiala House Court in connection with &#39;two leaves&#39;&nbsp;bribery case.

On December 14, Dinakaran was named in the charge sheet along with others in the &#39;two leaves&#39;&nbsp;symbol bribery case.

The Delhi Police had filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Tis Hazari court and named Dhinakaran, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Mallikarjuna, Nathu Singh, Pulkit Kundra, B Kumar, Lalit Kumar, Jai Vikram Haran and Narendra Jain as the accused.

Dhinakaran has been charged under Sections 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Destruction of Evidence)The case pertains to an alleged attempt by Dhinakaran to bribe Election Commission officials for securing AIADMK&#39;s &#39;two leaves&#39;&nbsp;symbol for the party faction led by his aunt VK&nbsp;Sasikala.

The High Court also directed Kumar to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000

A Delhi Court on Wednesday granted bail to Advocate B Kumar, one of the accused in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) two leaves symbol bribery case. The High Court also directed Kumar to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000. B Kumar was the lawyer Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's lawyer. In January, with a lookout circular (LOC) issued Kumar was stopped at Chennai airport on his way to the US.Earlier in the day, TTV Dinakaran appeared before Delhi's Patiala House Court in connection with 'two leaves' bribery case. On December 14, Dinakaran was named in the charge sheet along with others in the 'two leaves' symbol bribery case. The Delhi Police had filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Tis Hazari court and named Dhinakaran, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Mallikarjuna, Nathu Singh, Pulkit Kundra, B Kumar, Lalit Kumar, Jai Vikram Haran and Narendra Jain as the accused. Dhinakaran has been charged under Sections 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Destruction of Evidence)The case pertains to an alleged attempt by Dhinakaran to bribe Election Commission officials for securing AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol for the party faction led by his aunt VK Sasikala.

AIADMK symbol bribery case: Accused advocate B Kumar granted bail

A day after the merger of the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy&#39;s (EPS) government faced a crisis yesterday, when 19 of his MLAs withdrew their support, leading to the government falling short of majority.

The MLAs resigned when EPS declared, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), as his new Deputy Chief Minister, and the convenor of the party.

The 19 legislators, owing allegiance to former deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, met Governor Vidyasagar Rao and withdrew support to the Chief Minister.

The MLAs reportedly told Rao that EPS had &quot;forfeited&quot; their confidence of the public as well, urging him to &quot;intervene and institute the constitutional process.&quot;

Later, Opposition leader and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin wrote to the Governor demanding an early floor test to prove the government&#39;s majority and prevent horse trading, while other Opposition leaders also endorsed the demand.

EPS, OPS and other senior ministers, meanwhile, held meetings at the Secretariat on the threat to the government.

In identical letters submitted to Governor Rao at the Raj Bhavan, the resigned MLAs claimed they were &quot;disillusioned with the functioning of the government headed by Mr. Palaniswami, as there has been abuse of power, favouritism, misuse of government machinery, widespread corruption&quot;.

On the other hand, Stalin has claimed that &quot;twenty two MLAs&quot; have resigned.

Stalin wrote a letter to the Governor and said that any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the case will pave the way for continuance of an &quot;unconstitutional&quot; government and will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House.

Here is a timeline of events that happened in last few months from split to merger:

December 7, 2016: After Jayalalithaa&#39;s death, senior AIADMK leader O. Paneerselvam was sworn-in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. According to reports, several AIADMK MLAs were called to Apollo Hospital to sign a declaration, making Panneerselvam Jayalalithaa&#39;s successor.

December 29, 2016: V.K. Sasikala, the confidante of late J. Jayalalithaa, was appointed as AIADMK&#39;s general secretary on&nbsp;December 29&nbsp;after several party functionaries urged her to lead the party.

February 5, 2017: O. Panneerselvam resigned from the chief minister post and Sasikala was elected head of the AIADMK legislative party and proceeded to stake claim to form the government. Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao accepted Panneerselvam&#39;s resignation, but asked him to operate in a caretaker capacity.

February 14, 2017: Sasikala was convicted in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case and sentenced to serve four years in jail. She also stood disqualified to take over as Tamil Nadu chief minister.

February 15, 2017: In yet another major development in Tamil Nadu politics, TTV Dhinakaran on&nbsp;February 15&nbsp;was appointed as the Deputy General Secretary of the AIADMK.

February 18, 2017: Edappadi K. Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister along with 31 other AIADMK MLAs.

February 20, 2017: Amid an uproar in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him.

March 22 2017: With the bypoll elections for vacant R K Nagar constituency approaching, both the factions staked claim over the party&#39;s &quot;two leaves&quot; symbol. On&nbsp;March 22, Election Commission froze the party symbol recognising the split in the party. In a statement, EC officials said that neither of the two factions will be able to use the &quot;two leaves&quot; symbol. Amid allegations of both camps bribing the voters, the election body &quot;cancelled&quot; R K Nagar bypoll election slated for&nbsp;April 10.

April 17, 2017: In what can be called as a major hint towards sewing up an unprecedented merger between two warring factions in the Tamil Nadu Government, the Sasikala and the O. Panneerselvam groups of the AIADMK met to discuss and deliberate over possibilities of their unification.

April 18, 2017: With TTV Dinakaran facing bribery allegations, the two factions initiated merger talks. At least 25 ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the possible merger. D Jayakumar, who belongs from OPS faction, in a statement to media, said that their side is open for talks on merger. One of the major conditions for OPS faction for a merger was the expulsion of Sasikala and Dinakaran from the party, an issue which derailed the talks.

June 5, 2017: Soon after being granted bail in the case of alleged bribery for party symbol, AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran reached Bengaluru and met aunt Sasikala.

June 6, 2017: 21 AIADMK MLAs met Dinakaran at his residence, giving rise to speculations that many of them, who were part of the Palaniswami camp, may openly declare support to Dinakaran. Losing as many MLAs to Dinakaran could topple the government.

August 2017: CM Edappadi Palaniswami on August 11 said the appointment of TTV Dinakaran as party&#39;s deputy general secretary was &quot;not acceptable&quot;, thus paving the way for a possible merger between the two factions.

A resolution was adopted, shunning party deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

Party leaders from both the factions held multiple meetings on August 18, after which the OPS faction said an announcement on the merger will be made on August 21, 2017.

As per decision taken jointly by the both factions, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) has been made new Deputy Chief Minister under the merged All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government in the state. He will also hold the additional charge of Finance Ministry.

The decision of merger was taken by both factions days after the Tamil Nadu government accepted the AIADMK (PTA)&#39;s two key demands for merger - a probe into former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa&#39;s death and conversion of her Poes Garden residence into a memorial.

The third demand was the ouster of AIA DMK general secretary Sasikala and her family members from the party.&nbsp;

The MLAs resigned when EPS declared, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), as his new Deputy Chief Minister, and the convenor of the party

A day after the merger of the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy's (EPS) government faced a crisis yesterday, when 19 of his MLAs withdrew their support, leading to the government falling short of majority. The MLAs resigned when EPS declared, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS), as his new Deputy Chief Minister, and the convenor of the party. The 19 legislators, owing allegiance to former deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, met Governor Vidyasagar Rao and withdrew support to the Chief Minister. The MLAs reportedly told Rao that EPS had "forfeited" their confidence of the public as well, urging him to "intervene and institute the constitutional process." Later, Opposition leader and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin wrote to the Governor demanding an early floor test to prove the government's majority and prevent horse trading, while other Opposition leaders also endorsed the demand. EPS, OPS and other senior ministers, meanwhile, held meetings at the Secretariat on the threat to the government. In identical letters submitted to Governor Rao at the Raj Bhavan, the resigned MLAs claimed they were "disillusioned with the functioning of the government headed by Mr. Palaniswami, as there has been abuse of power, favouritism, misuse of government machinery, widespread corruption". On the other hand, Stalin has claimed that "twenty two MLAs" have resigned. Stalin wrote a letter to the Governor and said that any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the case will pave the way for continuance of an "unconstitutional" government and will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House. Here is a timeline of events that happened in last few months from split to merger: December 7, 2016: After Jayalalithaa's death, senior AIADMK leader O. Paneerselvam was sworn-in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. According to reports, several AIADMK MLAs were called to Apollo Hospital to sign a declaration, making Panneerselvam Jayalalithaa's successor. December 29, 2016: V.K. Sasikala, the confidante of late J. Jayalalithaa, was appointed as AIADMK's general secretary on December 29 after several party functionaries urged her to lead the party. February 5, 2017: O. Panneerselvam resigned from the chief minister post and Sasikala was elected head of the AIADMK legislative party and proceeded to stake claim to form the government. Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao accepted Panneerselvam's resignation, but asked him to operate in a caretaker capacity. February 14, 2017: Sasikala was convicted in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case and sentenced to serve four years in jail. She also stood disqualified to take over as Tamil Nadu chief minister. February 15, 2017: In yet another major development in Tamil Nadu politics, TTV Dhinakaran on February 15 was appointed as the Deputy General Secretary of the AIADMK. February 18, 2017: Edappadi K. Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister along with 31 other AIADMK MLAs. February 20, 2017: Amid an uproar in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him. March 22 2017: With the bypoll elections for vacant R K Nagar constituency approaching, both the factions staked claim over the party's "two leaves" symbol. On March 22, Election Commission froze the party symbol recognising the split in the party. In a statement, EC officials said that neither of the two factions will be able to use the "two leaves" symbol. Amid allegations of both camps bribing the voters, the election body "cancelled" R K Nagar bypoll election slated for April 10. April 17, 2017: In what can be called as a major hint towards sewing up an unprecedented merger between two warring factions in the Tamil Nadu Government, the Sasikala and the O. Panneerselvam groups of the AIADMK met to discuss and deliberate over possibilities of their unification. April 18, 2017: With TTV Dinakaran facing bribery allegations, the two factions initiated merger talks. At least 25 ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the possible merger. D Jayakumar, who belongs from OPS faction, in a statement to media, said that their side is open for talks on merger. One of the major conditions for OPS faction for a merger was the expulsion of Sasikala and Dinakaran from the party, an issue which derailed the talks. June 5, 2017: Soon after being granted bail in the case of alleged bribery for party symbol, AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran reached Bengaluru and met aunt Sasikala. June 6, 2017: 21 AIADMK MLAs met Dinakaran at his residence, giving rise to speculations that many of them, who were part of the Palaniswami camp, may openly declare support to Dinakaran. Losing as many MLAs to Dinakaran could topple the government. August 2017: CM Edappadi Palaniswami on August 11 said the appointment of TTV Dinakaran as party's deputy general secretary was "not acceptable", thus paving the way for a possible merger between the two factions. A resolution was adopted, shunning party deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran. Party leaders from both the factions held multiple meetings on August 18, after which the OPS faction said an announcement on the merger will be made on August 21, 2017. As per decision taken jointly by the both factions, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) has been made new Deputy Chief Minister under the merged All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government in the state. He will also hold the additional charge of Finance Ministry. The decision of merger was taken by both factions days after the Tamil Nadu government accepted the AIADMK (PTA)'s two key demands for merger - a probe into former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's death and conversion of her Poes Garden residence into a memorial. The third demand was the ouster of AIA DMK general secretary Sasikala and her family members from the party.

EPS in trouble, govt. falls short of majority