Hours after the Supreme Court upheld the trial court verdict that sentenced V.K. Sasikala to a four-year jail term, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK) general secretary on Tuesday expelled 20 other leaders including caretaker Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam from the party.
The expelled leaders are AIADMK lawmaker K. Pandiarajan, former Assembly speaker P.H. Pandian and his son P.H. Manoj Pandiyan, N. Vishvananthan and senior party leader C. Ponnaiyan, K.P. Munusamy, J.C.D. Prabhakar, ex- MLA K. Thavasi,B. Mohan, K.A. Jaypal, S.K. Selvam, K.P. Rajendra Prasad, K.A.K. Mugil, former minister Parithi Elamvaluthi, Ex-MP E. Ponnusamy, V. Neelakandan, ex-MLA V. Neelankandan, ex- MLA Ko. Ayyappan, M. Muthuramalingam and S. Muthuselvi.
The AIADMK leadership has also appointed Edapadi K. Palanisamy as the new legislative leader.
Earlier in the day, Sasikala suffered a major jolt after the Supreme Court upheld the trial court's judgment convicting her in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case.
Late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa was accused in the case along with Sasikala and two others.