The Madras High Court dismissed an appeal lodged by expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) challenging a single judge’s order prohibiting him from claiming to be the coordinator or a primary member of the AIADMK party and from using the party’s official flag, symbol and letterhead.
On Thursday, Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq dismissed O Panerselvam’s appeal after mentioning that there existed no grounds for interfering with the single judge’s November 2023 order. The Madras High Court stated that OPS could approach the single judge to vacate the interim injunction order.
Last year in November, Justice N Satish Kumar allowed the plea for interim injunction filed by the party General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami. EPS approached the High Court contending that even after expulsion from the party, O Panneerselvam continued to claim himself to be the coordinator of the party.
Edappadi Palaniswami further informed the court that the High Court had already upheld O Panneerselvam’s expulsion from the party. He added that even the Election Commission had recognized him to be the General Secretary of the Party. Therefore, EPS asserted that OPS was confusing the party cadres by portraying himself to be the party coordinator and using the party name, symbol, flag, letterhead etc.
During the previous hearing in November, EPS said that his predecessor OPS had failed to obtain favourable orders in almost every legal challenge against his expulsion from the party.
Meanwhile, O Panneerselvam in his petition contended that he could not be restricted from using the party flag, symbol and letterhead as a suit challenging his expulsion from the party was already pending. OPS further added that the courts had only rejected their interim applications seeking to stay on the operation of the party resolution dated July 11 2022 by which they were expelled and not on the actual expulsion.