The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court to decide on a plea challenging the Election Commission order recognizing the AIADMK faction led by Deputy Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam as the real AIADMK and granting the “two leaves” election symbol to his group.
Putting the March 9 interim order by a single judge in abeyance, Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to set up a two-judge bench that will hear the matter and decide it in three weeks — by the end of April.
The order came on a plea by sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran.
The top court, meanwhile, has asked the Election Commission not to pronounce any order in the matter relating to the AIADMK.
The single judge of Delhi High Court on March 9 asked the Election Commission to consider allotting Dinakaran’s breakaway outfit Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) an election symbol, preferably the pressure cooker.
Dinakaran won the R.K. Nagar Assembly by-election as an independent candidate with pressure cooker as the symbol. The seat was held by late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
The court also gave liberty to the parties to approach it in case there was any notification for the holding of local bodies polls.