New Delhi, Feb 4 (TIWN) Citing inaction and unnecessary delay, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu Advocate General to tell it, by February 14, when will the Assembly Speaker decide on disqualification petitions filed in March 2017 against Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and 10 other MLAs for defying the whip and voting against the E.K. Palaniswami government in the February trust vote.

Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said the Speaker's three-year delay on deciding disqualification pleas was "unnecessary".  "There is a judgment by this court now, which says the Speaker should decide within three months... But apart from this judgment, the Speaker cannot hold on to disqualification proceedings as long as three years", said the Chief Justice.  The Chief Justice reckoned the delay, on deciding the disqualification petition, as inaction.  "There is a judgement of this court, which is not set aside and it does not matter somebody likes it or not. At the moment you (Advocate General of Tamil Nadu) must take action, when are you going to take action, tell us now", said the Chief Justice.  In a reply to senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the disqualified MLAs, the Chief Justice said, "This judgement holds the field... This judgement is there, it is the law, for three years the Speaker cannot sit on a notice".