Blow to Panneerselvam as Madras HC junks plea on use of AIADMK symbol, flag

Chennai: Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam challenging a single order restraining him from using the party symbol - Two Leaves, flag and official letterhead. 

A division bench of justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq dismissed the appeal filed by OPS, a former chief minister and ex-coordinator of the AIADMK, noting that there were no grounds for interfering with the order pronounced by justice N Sathish Kumar on November 7.

The interim injunction in 2023 came on a petition filed by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami who submitted that the claims by Panneerselvam that he was the coordinator was causing confusion among people. The interim relief to Palaniswami was granted after Panneerselvam failed to file a counter-affidavit despite several adjournments.

Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK by the General Council on July 11, 2022, continues to call himself as the coordinator of the party and uses the party symbol and letterhead. The AIADMK moved the court after its repeated warnings to the OPS faction was not heeded to. 

The Leader of Opposition has also moved the court seeking a direction to Speaker M Appavu to declare R B Udhayakumar as his deputy in the AIADMK Legislature Party in place of Panneerselvam. 

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognising EPS as the general secretary of the AIADMK and ratifying the General Council meeting, the party is clear it doesn’t want OPS to lay claim to the party. 

Palaniswami, who was joint coordinator of the AIADMK, struck unannounced at his boss Panneerselvam, who was the coordinator as part of a BJP-brokered peace in 2017, in June 2022 and got the bye-laws of the party amended to bring back the general secretary post, which was reserved for Jayalalithaa at the July 11 General Council meeting. 

After a legal battle lasting several months, the Supreme Court declared the General Council meeting that appointed Palaniswami as interim general secretary as valid, following which the AIADMK conducted organisational polls. Months later, the ECI followed suit by ratifying the decisions of the GC meeting.