News

SC Refuses to Grant Pressure Cooker for Using As Election Symbol to Dhinakaran Led Party

INDIA’S Supreme Court has declined to okay allotment of ‘pressure cooker as election symbol to Tamil Nadu’s   TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).The Delhi High Court had on March 9 last year directed the Election Commission (EC) to allot a common symbol, preferably that of a ‘pressure cooker’, and a name to the then AIADMK (Amma) faction led by Dhinakaran. A Bench comprising justices AM Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said if the High Court does not dispose of the pending case regarding the allocation of the symbol within four weeks then EC may proceed as per the March 9, 2018 order. The Bench said if polls to vacant seats in Tamil Nadu are announced within four weeks. EC may allocate the symbol to Dhinakarn’s party in a week as per the HC’s order. India’s apex court also vacated its earlier order of abeyance on the high court’s order which was issued after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami-led faction had moved the SC. The high court’s order was passed on an application by Dhinakaran in his main petition challenging an EC order of November 23, 2017, which had allotted the ‘two leaves’ symbol to the group headed by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam who opposed grant of any relief in the matter.Dhinakaran had asked for the pressure cooker symbol as under it he had in December last year won the Radha Krishnan Nagar Assembly by-election with a margin of over 40,000 votes. Justices AM Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said if the high court does not dispose of the pending case regarding the allocation of the symbol within four weeks then EC may proceed as per the March 9, 2018 order. The bench said if polls to vacant seats in Tamil Nadu are announced within four weeks then EC may allocate the symbol to Dhinakarn’s party in a week, as per the high court order. The top court also vacated its earlier order of abeyance on the high court’s order which was issued after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami-led faction had moved the apex court. The high court’s order was passed on an application by Dhinakaran in his main petition challenging an EC order of November 23, 2017, which had allotted the ‘two leaves’ symbol to the group headed by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam who opposed grant of any relief in the matter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.