Pannirselvam was the leader of the Tanjore Municipal Corporation during 1918–20 and a member of the
Tanjore District board during 1924–30. He was an alumnus of
Cambridge University and the first Indian Christian to be appointed as adviser to the
Lord Zetland,
Secretary of State for India. He attended the
1930 Round Table Conference on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians. In 1937, Pannirselvam succeeded
Mohammad Usman as the Minister for Home of the Madras Presidency, in the
Raja of Bobbili cabinet. In 1936 he became the member for Home in the Executive Council of the
Governor of Madras –
Lord Erskine. He also served as the Minister for Home and Finance, in the short lived interim provincial government of
Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu during 1 April – 14 July 1937. After the defeat of the Justice party in the
1937 Assembly elections, Pannirselvam became the leader of the Justice party. He was one of the few Justice leaders to win in the 1937 elections, defeating
George Joseph of the
Indian National Congress from the Tanjore Constituency. The party under his leadership supported the
Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40. He remained the leader of the party till 1938, when
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy took over the leadership of the party in December 1938. Pannirselvam was knighted in the
1938 New Year Honours list. == Death ==