SC asks Delhi HC to decide real AIADMK by April-end

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 it the "two leaves" election symbol.

Putting the March 9 interim order by a single judge in abeyance, Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to set up a two-judge bench that will hear the matter and decide by the end of April.

"The Division Bench so constituted is requested to dispose of the main matter by the end of April, 2018, as this matter requires immediate attention," they ordered.

The top court order came on a plea by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam and E. Madhusudhanan who had challenged the March 9 order by the single judge.

The top court, meanwhile, has asked the Election Commission not to pronounce any order in the matter relating to the AIADMK.

Saying that the "interim order passed by the learned Single Judge on March 9, 2018 shall remain in abeyance", the court said: "As we have kept the order in abeyance, the Election Commission shall not pronounce its order."

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 apex court on Wednesday also gave liberty to the parties to approach it in case there was any notification for the holding of local bodies polls in Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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