Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala’s swearing-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is likely to be delayed by a few days with Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao seeking a legal opinion on her assuming charge since the verdict in the disproportionate assets case against her is to be pronounced next week.
Highly-placed sources told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Rao was in no hurry to administer oath to Ms Sasikala since he has not extended an invitation to the AIADMK leader to be sworn in as Chief Minister.
The sources said the Governor wants to wait till the verdict of the Supreme Court, expected next week, on whether Ms Sasikala, a close aide of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, was guilty of corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, in the 21-year-old Rs 66-crore disproportionate assets case.
They also pointed out that while accepting the resignation of O. Pannrnor asked him and his ministry to continue till alternate arrangements is made.
“The Government led by Mr Panneerselvam will continue for some more days before the Governor forms his opinion on the AIADMK Legislature party resolution electing Ms Sasikala as the new leader,” the sources said.
They said the Governor was very particular in waiting since the Supreme Court had struck down the appointment of late J. Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister in 2001 by the then Governor Fatima Beevi. The apex court had found fault with the manner the Governor rushed with the swearing-in of Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister.
The apex court had then ruled, "The Governor cannot, in the exercise of his/her discretion or otherwise, do anything that is contrary to the Constitution and the laws. Therefore, the Governor, having due regard to the Constitution and the laws, must decline to exercise the discretion in appointing as Chief Minister a non-member who was not qualified to become a member of the legislature."
Mr Rao, who is Maharashtra Governor and holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu, consulted with legal experts on how to go about the issue during his stay in New Delhi and left for Mumbai late Monday evening.
The Governor, who was to attend the annual convocation of the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore on Tuesday morning, cancelled his programme. The Karnataka High Court acquitted Ms Sasikala along with late Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case, but the verdict has been challenged in the apex court and the judgement has been reserved.
There was intense speculation till late on Monday that the swearing-in would be held on Tuesday, but it died down after Mr Rao left for Mumbai from the national capital.
He flew to New Delhi from Coimbatore late on Sunday evening to attend the wedding reception of HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar's son. Meanwhile, senior Ministers and AIADMK leaders visited the Centenary Auditorium of the Madras University on Monday and are understood to have reviewed the arrangements for the ceremony at the sprawling venue, where Ms Sasikala's late friend J Jayalalithaa took oath as Chief Minister just about nine months ago.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan met with Ms Sasikala for the second time in as many days. She is understood to have discussed the preparations for the swearing-in ceremony.
