Chennai, Sept. 20 (Agencies): The Madras High Court on Wednesday extended its stay on a floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly, in which 18 rebels of the AIADMK have been disqalified.

Justice M. Duraiswamy said no poll notification would be issued for the vacant seats.

He was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of 18 lawmakers of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam who had backed rebel T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

Eight of the 18 had moved court on Tuesday, challenging the Speaker’s action against them under the anti-defection law. They said Speaker P. Dhanapal's order was 'unauthorised' and 'illegal'.

The petitioners sought to restrain the Speaker, government chief whip S. Rajendran, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and the Assembly secretary from interfering with their rights as elected representatives.

The AIADMK, which had been rocked by the death of its leader J. Jayalalithaa last year, has reunited under Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and his deputy O. Panneerselvam, and sidelined Dhinakaran as well as his aunt Sasikala, who had made a takeover bid after the death of Jayalalitha.

The chief whip had moved the Speaker after the MLAs met Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on August 22 and expressed lack of confidence in the chief minister.

With the disqualification of the 18 MLAs, the 234-member assembly has only 215 elected members with one seat being vacant already.

The government now needs only 108 votes to prove its majority in the assembly now in case of a floor test.