The Supreme Court on Wednesday kept in abeyance a Delhi High Court order asking the Election Commission to consider allotting the ‘pressure cooker’ as the poll symbol to the AIADMK faction led by TTV Dhinakaran.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar also asked the acting chief justice of Delhi High Court to set up a two-judge bench to decide the main dispute between the two AIADMK factions, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswamy and Dhinakaran, over their rival claims on the party and its ‘two leaves’ symbol by April end.
On March 9, the Delhi High Court had directed the poll panel to allot a common symbol, preferably ‘pressure cooker’, and a name to the AIADMK (Amma) faction led by Dhinakaran.
The newly launched party by Dhinakaran, called Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagham (AMMK), is now barred from using the ‘pressure cooker’ as its symbol till the text hearing by the Supreme Court.
The High Court had earlier directed the Election Commission (EC) to allot the ‘pressure cooker’ symbol to Dhinakaran’s faction.
On March 15, TTV Dinakaran had launched his new party AMMK.
Dhinakaran had asserted earlier that till the time party gets ‘two leaves’ symbol, it will contest the elections on ‘pressure cooker’ symbol.
The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam against TTV Dhinakaran.
Last year, Dhinakaran had the lost the AIADMK party name and the ‘two leaves’ symbol to the E Palaniswami-O Panneerselvam faction.
(With agency inputs)