SC says Madras HC ‘appears to be right’, asks PMK to apply to Civil Court in party symbol dispute

S. Ramadoss

The Supreme Court on Monday said the Madras High Court “appears to be right” in dismissing petitions filed by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss, seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India to decide the dispute between him and the faction led by his son, R. Anbumani, over the party’s ‘mango’ symbol.

The PMK had appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court’s dismissal of Dr. Ramadoss’s petition to either let his faction use the party’s symbol during the Assembly election in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, or freeze the symbol.

“The High Court appears to be right in holding that the dispute re: allocation of symbol among the two rival groups of an unrecognised political party cannot be decided by the Election Commission of India,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed.

However, the top court said the aggrieved party must not be left remediless.

The Bench said the petitioner had already filed a civil suit. The court said the petitioner could file an appropriate application raising his demand before the Civil Court.

“If such an application is filed by tomorrow, March 24, 2026, we direct the Civil Court to decide the same after hearing the parties and in accordance with law within a period of three days,” the Supreme Court said.

The top court said it had not expressed any opinion on merits, leaving the parties to the suit, including those who may seek their impleadment, at liberty to raise all legal contentions before the Civil Court.

The High Court had agreed with the ECI that factional disputes in an unrecognised political party could be resolved only through a Civil Court decree.

The civil suit had been filed in the dispute between the father and son over the party presidentship.