Palanivel can apply to join MIC after party polls - Saravanan

“They can apply to become members and I would support their applications with open arms,” he said referring to Palanivel and the four others - vice presidents Datuk S. Sothinathan, Datuk S. Balakrishnan, former secretary-general A Prakash Rao and CWC member A.K. Ramalingam.

The five had took the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to court, challenging its directive for the party to hold a re-election of its 2013 party polls.

"Maybe the five of them made a mistake. They might not have understood the issues or someone must have misled them," he said.

He said the 2009 CWC would accept their applications for membership after the party elections are concluded.

MIC party elections will begin next month, starting from branch levels, Saravanan added.

“Not many understand that it was not RoS that made the decision to grant power to the CWC 2009 but the constitution itself," Saravanan said at the party headquarters.

“If the 2013 CWC is cancelled, the previous, 2009 CWC would automatically be reinstated,” said Saravanan adding that the article of the MIC constitution is effective during a transitional period as such when the 2013 CWC is null and void," he added.

MIC internal crisis erupted after the RoS declared the election for the posts of three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee (CWC) members null and void during the MIC general assembly in November 2013.

The crisis prolonged following clash of opinions between Palanivel and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam after the RoS issued a notice on Dec 5, 2014 directing the party to hold fresh elections for the three vice-presidential and 23 CWC posts.

On Monday, the High Court dismissed two judicial review applications by Palanivel and other MIC leaders challenging the Registrar of Societies order for the party to hold fresh elections.