Supreme Court terms High Court intervention "atrocious" — TVK MLA Sreenivasa Sethupathi cleared to vote in floor test

Hours before the floor test commenced in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the Supreme Court of India delivered a critical ruling that directly shaped the final outcome. A bench stayed a Madras High Court order that had restrained TVK MLA R. Sreenivasa Sethupathi from casting his vote during the confidence motion.

The Supreme Court bench described the High Court's intervention as "atrocious," asserting that courts should not interfere in the conduct of assembly proceedings, particularly in matters related to floor tests and confidence votes. The bench's strong language signalled the judiciary's firm position on the separation of powers between legislative and judicial branches.

With the stay in place, Sethupathi was permitted to take his seat and vote in favour of the TVK government. His vote was among the 144 ayes that gave Chief Minister Vijay a comfortable majority. Legal experts noted that the Supreme Court's swift intervention underscored the constitutional principle that assembly proceedings are immune from judicial scrutiny while in progress.