Tamil Nadu Appeals to Supreme Court Over Governor's Rejection of K Ponmudi's Re-Induction into Cabinet

The Supreme Court has agreed to review a petition from the Tamil Nadu government regarding Governor RN Ravi's refusal to appoint senior DMK leader K Ponmudi as a minister in the state cabinet.

Governor Ravi declined to reinstate Ponmudi, citing concerns about constitutional morality. The matter was brought before a bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the state government, emphasized the urgency of the issue, prompting the bench to consider scheduling a hearing. "We'll take a look at the email. I'll review it," said the Chief Justice.

In a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin, the governor pointed out that the Supreme Court's order only temporarily suspended Ponmudi's conviction. Consequently, the governor declined to include Ponmudi in Stalin's cabinet. Despite this, the state government recently reinstated Ponmudi as a legislator following the Supreme Court's suspension of his conviction in a case related to disproportionate assets.