Edappadi K. Palaniswami moves Madras High Court to restrain O. Panneerselvam from using AIADMK flag, symbol and letter head

.AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami has filed a civil suit in Madras High Court against expelled leader O. Panneerselvam for using party's letterhead, symbol and flag. Palaniswami claims Panneerselvam has misrepresented himself as coordinator and caused damage to the party's reputation. Court to decide on granting interim injunction.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has filed a civil suit in the Madras High Court to injunct expelled leader O. Panneerselvam from using the party’s official letter head, two leaves symbol and flag besides refraining him from claiming to be the coordinator or even a primary member of AIADMK.

The suit has been listed for hearing before Justice R.N. Manjula on Thursday when the judge would take a call on granting interim injunction. In his plaint, Mr. Palaniswami said, Mr. Panneerselvam was expelled from primary membership of the party by its general council on July 11, 2022 for several anti-party activities including the ransacking of party headquarters.

He also stated that the expelled leader had failed to obtain favourable orders in the legal challenge put up against his expulsion. Yet, on April 20, 2023, a person named K. Kumar filed a nomination to contest the Karnataka Assembly elections as AIADMK candidate and submitted forms signed by Mr. Panneerselvam by claiming to be the coordinator of the party.

“The conduct of the defendant in desperately holding out as the coordinator of AIADMK party is not only to mislead the public and misrepresent as though he is continuing in the post, but also a fraudulent act in itself under law,” the plaintiff said and pointed out that a First Information Report had been registered in Bengaluru on the basis of the Returning Officer’s complaint.

“Despite the lodging of criminal complaint and registration of the FIR, the defendant did not cease from indulging in illegal acts such as fraud, forgery and misrepresentation and holding out as the coordinator of the party, in order to gain publicity,” the plaintiff said and referred to various announcements made by him using the party’s official letter head.

“The defendant, who is now a stranger to the party, is deliberately misrepresenting and continuing to portray himself as the coordinator of the AIADMK party when no such post even exists in the party any more. The defendant has been wilfully and fraudulently damaging the reputation of AIADMK by misusing its official letter heads and misleading the public,” the plaint read.

It also went on to accuse Mr. Panneerselvam of having made various “illegal” appointments and removals to the party posts by “forging” the official letter head of the party and calling himself to be the coordinator. Even his X (formerly Twitter) handle continues to describe him as the coordinator of AIADMK, the plaintiff complained.