TN: O Panneerselvam Appeals Against Interim Injunction On Use Of AIADMK Symbol, Flag; Madras HC Division Bench To Hear Matter On 15 November

Former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS), who was expelled from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in July 2022, has challenged an order of a single-judge bench of the Madras High Court that restricted him from calling himself as the party's Coordinator or a primary member of the party and using the party's symbol, flag or letterhead through an interim injunction.

Panneerselvam's appeal will be heard on 15 November by a Division Bench of the Court, comprising Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq.

According to a report by The Hindu, Panneerselvam stated that he could not be restrained from doing so as a civil suit filed by him challenging his expulsion is pending in the High Court and it had only refused to pass an interim order in the matter.

Further, he stated that the refusal of the High Court had been challenged before the Supreme Court and it was wrong on the part of the single judge to have relied on interim orders to pass such an order.

During the hearing by Justice N Sathish Kumar, who ordered the interim injunction, Senior Counsel Vijay Narayan, who represented Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), stated that Panneerselvam's continued usage of the party's symbol, flag and letterhead was causing confusing the people in the days before Parliamentary elections.

Advocate P Rajalakshmi, representing Panneerselvam, requested more time to file a counter-affidavit and objected to the plea stating that the matter could be taken up by the Supreme Court anytime.

Justice Sathish Kumar then stated that despite multiple adjournments, Panneerselvam had not filed the counter-affidavit and so he was granting an interim injunction, as requested by Palaniswami, till 30 November.

He asked Panneerselvam to file his counter-affidavit by then.