CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK moved the Madras High Court seeking to restrain sidelined leader TTV Dhinakaran from using any colour combination deceptively similar to its flag. Dhinakaran recently launched his new party, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, and unveiled its flag, which features the image of a smiling J Jayalalithaa. The flag is black at the top and red below with white in the middle. TN Chief Minister K Palaniswami, who is also the joint co-coordinator of the AIADMK, sought the leave of the court to file the suit, seeking a permanent injunction against Dhinakaran in the regard.
Justice CV Karthikeyan granted leave for filing the suit when the plea came up for hearing. In the suit, Palaniswami submitted that the AIADMK flag was described in rule 4 of the party's Rules and Regulations, which clearly stated that the upper half of it should be black in colour, the lower half red and the bust of former chief minister CN Annadurai superimposed in white in the middle. In his suit, Palaniswami submitted that the AIADMK flag was described in rule 4 of the party's Rules and Regulations, which clearly stated that the upper half of it should be black in colour, the lower half red and the bust of Annadurai- superimposed in white in the middle.
The flag originally set the AIADMK apart from the other political parties and gave it a unique identity for four decades since its launch in 1972, he said. He also added that Dhinakaran was expelled by the “eternal” general secretary of the party, Jayalalithaa, on December 19, 2011. He was re-inducted last year by VK Sasikala, a close aide of Jaya, and immediately appointed as the deputy general secretary before she proceeded to serve her term in jail.
Cutting no corners, Palaniswami also submitted that the Election Commission had held the party headed by Dhinakaran as not the original AIADMK, in its November 23, 2017 order. He also added that even though Dhinakaran had challenged the EC's order in the Delhi High Court, no stay had been granted on his plea.
