The AIADMK has urged the Madras High Court to reject the plea filed by Rajya Sabha MP and expelled party member Sasikala Pushpa against the appointment of Sasikala Natrajan as General Secretary of the party. AIADMK Presidium Chairperson E Madhusudhanan filed an application at the Madras High Court on Wednesday, asking the court to reject Sasikala Pushpa’s petition.

The application was filed when the case came up for hearing before Justice K Kalyanasundaram. The application states that since both Sasikala Pushpa and her husband are not part of the AIADMK, they do not have any right to file a petition against the appointment of any person as party general secretary.

After filing her petition before the Madras High Court last week, Sasikala Pushpa had said, “It is not right to elect Sasikala Natarajan as the general secretary of the party. Jayalalithaa had not even given her a councillor or an MLA seat. She also conspired against Jayalalithaa in 2011 and was expelled from the party.”

In response to a request by Sasikala Pushpa for time to file a counter-affidavit in the case, the judge posted the case for hearing on Friday. 

However, Justice Kalyanasundaram refused to grant status quo in the matter despite a plea made by senior counsel KM Vijayan, who was appearing on behalf of Sasikala Pushpa.

Sasikala Pushpa was expelled from the party in August after she had an altercation with DMK MP Trichy Siva at the Delhi airport. She had also filed a complaint asking for police protection.

Later, she had said in the parliament that her ‘leader’ slapped her. “My life and dignity is under threat. Will the government save me?... I am being harassed. I need protection. In Tamil Nadu, I don’t have safety,” she had said.