Stalin calls guv's 'dismissal' of Senthil void, non-existent

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Friday described as "void ab initio" and "non-est" governor RN Ravi's two letters on arrested minister V Senthil Balaji's continuance in the state cabinet - the first in which the governor "dismissed" the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader from the council of ministers and another, issued hours later, in which he backtracked after widespread criticism from several quarters.

- Divya Chandrababu

CHENNAI: While the term 'void ab initio' means having no legal effect, 'non-est' means non-existent.

In a letter to the governor, Stalin, who is also the chief of the ruling DMK, criticised the former's contradictory actions in a span of a few hours and accused him of acting "in haste with scant regard to the Constitution of India".

There was no immediate reaction available from Raj Bhavan on Stalin's letter.

In an unprecedented move on Thursday, the governor sent a letter to the chief minister at 7pm, informing him about Balaji's "dismissal" from the council of ministers. However, amid criticism from the state government that said the governor had no authority to do this, in another letter at 11.45pm, Ravi said he was keeping the plan "in abeyance" on Union home minister Amit Shah's advice, who asked him to seek the attorney general's opinion on the matter.

Constitutional experts also said that the governor's move may not withstand legal scrutiny. In his letter to the governor on Friday, Stalin said: "Your unconstitutional communication dismissing my minister without my advice is void ab initio and non-est in law and hence, has been disregarded".