Supreme Court refuses 'pressure cooker' symbol to AMMK leader Dhinakaran

Delhi HC had on March 9 directed EC to allot common symbol, preferably that of a 'pressure cooker', and a name to the then AIADMK faction.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday refused to grant the 'pressure cooker' symbol for now to the TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).

The Delhi High Court had on March 9 last year directed the Election Commission (EC) to allot a common symbol, preferably that of a 'pressure cooker', and a name to the then AIADMK (Amma) faction led by Dhinakaran.

A bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said if the high court does not dispose of the pending case regarding allocation of symbol within four weeks then EC may proceed as per the March 9, 2018 order. The bench said if polls to vacant seats in Tamil Nadu are announced within four weeks then EC may allocate the symbol to Dhinakarn's party in a week, as per the high court order.

The top court also vacated its earlier order of abeyance on the high court's order which was issued after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami-led faction had moved the apex court. The high court's order was passed on an application by Dhinakaran in his main petition challenging an EC order of November 23, 2017, which had allotted the 'two leaves' symbol to the group headed by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam who opposed grant of any relief in the matter.

Dhinakaran had asked for the pressure cooker symbol as under it he had in December last year won the Radha Krishnan Nagar Assembly by-election with a margin of over 40,000 votes.