OPS can’t use party symbol, says HC

CHENNAI: Not restraining an expelled person from claiming party status would cause irreparable injury to the recognised political party, said the Madras High Court which permanently restrained ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam from using the party symbol, flag and letterhead.

Following the setback, OPS petitioned the Election Commission of India, urging it to permit him to field candidates from his faction under the banner of AIADMK (OPS) and not to allow AIADMK to use the Two-Leaves symbol.

Allowing AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s petition, Justice N Sathish Kumar said if OPS was allowed to use the party symbol, flag and letterhead and interfere with the affairs of the general secretary elected by the majority by way of a resolution, it would lead to serious chaos in the political arena.

Noting that Panneerselvam and his supporters were removed from the primary membership in a general council and the resolution was not found invalid by any courts so far, the judge added that merely because the suits challenging it, OPS could not contend that he was still as a primary member of the party.

Unless and until his expulsion was declared to be void by the competent court, Panneerselvam cannot interfere with the affairs of the general secretary elected by the majority of members in the general council meeting, Justice Sathish Kumar added in the order.

Being restrained from using the symbol will have a bearing on OPS’s oft-repeated plan to contest the coming Lok Sabha election on the AIADMK’s TwoLeaves symbol, and it will further compound the pressure exerted by the Centre-ruling BJP to field candidates from his faction on its Lotus symbol.

Sources said OPS has been resisting this, knowing well that contesting on the BJP symbol would affect his efforts to ‘retrieve’ the party from his rival EPS.

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