Delhi HC hearing on Two Leaves today

As per the Supreme Court order, the hearing must be completed and judgment delivered within this month on the claims of all the major contenders for the party and symbol. Since April 28 is the last working day of the month, a decision is expected by that time. 

There are two set of documents to claim the support of general council members submitted before the Election Commission, one when VK Sasikala was nominated as the AIADMK general secretary in a general council meeting. The second set of documents was handed over to the commission after the merger of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam. 

If the validity of the first set of documents in support of Sasikala’s nomination is upheld, she would return as the party head and Dhinakaran as her deputy. If the second set of signatures of general council members is declared to be valid, the party’s reins will go to Madhusudhanan and Panneerselvam. 

Speaking to DT Next Minister D Jayakumar said, “The speeding up of the case would be in their favour since they could permanently get the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol since most of the general council members and the party is with them at the moment.”

AIADMK leaders feel Dhinakaran would not be able to draw the general council members and senior functionaries of the AIADMK to his side as long as the party remained in power. A judgment before April 30 would only uphold the Election Commission’s order and end Dhinakaran’s claim for the ‘Two Leaves’ forever, they feel. 

However, Dhinakaran’s lawyer Raja Senthoor Pandian said the third option of the court asking the Election Commission to examine the case again to verify the support of general council members is highly probable. Such a verdict would freeze the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol and the AIADMK’s name. Even if the AIADMK’s name and symbol is given to Panneerselvam, Dhinakaran would be free to launch his own party and have his own symbol. 

The advocate said his side had appealed against the Election Commission judgment stating that the signatures of the AIADMK general council members in the list submitted by Chief Minister Palaniswami and his Deputy Panneerselvam had not been verified. The Commission also refused to hear several general council members, who had complained that their signatures had been forged. He hoped that his side would obtain a similar verdict against the decision of the Commission.