EC to process Cooker symbol for Dhinakaran if Two Leaves case drags for over 4 weeks

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to begin processing TTV Dhinakaran's application for the Pressure Cooker symbol for elections, should the legal battle for the AIADMK's Two Leaves symbol drag on over four weeks from Thursday. In the event of elections announced within four weeks, the Election Commission should take steps to process his application for the Pressure Cooker symbol for Dhinakaran within a week.
The Supreme Court's directions on Thursday arrive as a relief for Dhinakaran, VK Sasikala's nephew and the only lawmaker in the Sasikala family, who had been leading a legal battle to retreive the AIADMK's Two Leaves symbol for over a year.

Dhinakaran is engaged in a long legal battle with the current AIADMK headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, both of whom had succeeded in securing the Two Leaves symbol for the party. Dhinakaran had litigated at the Delhi High Court against this decision of the Election Commission to identify the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami as the AIADMK representating the party and deserving of the symbol.

As this case was dragging on at the Delhi High Court, Dhinakaran had moved the court again seeking allotment of the Cooker Symbol, which was given to him ahead of the RK Nagar by-elections, for contesting in the Thiruvarur constituency, erstwhile constituency of "Kalaignar Karunanidhi.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had litigated against this petition of Dhinakaran. The Delhi High Court on March 9, 2018, had directed the Election Commission to "pass an appropriate order permitting the Petitioner [Dhinakaran] and his group of persons to use a common symbol (preferably “Pressure Cooker” as used by the Petitioner during the last election forthe R.K. Nagar constituency) and
also permit them to use the name of their choice, after giving them an appropriate hearing," according a copy of the March 9, 2018, order available with ET.

After the delivery of the March 9 order favouring Dhinakaran, Edappadi Palaniswami had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Single Judge order paving the way for allotment of the Cooker symbol for Dhinkaran. The Supreme Court, on March 28, 2018, had delivered an order keeping the Single judge's order in abeyance and restraining the Election Commission from pronouncing an order on Dhinakaran's application.

In Thursday's order Supreme Court judges AM Khanwilkar, Ajay Rastogi said they are vacating the court's earlier order keeping the Delhi High Court order in abeyance. By this order, the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to "expeditiously" process the application of Dhinakaran, but "moulded the relief" but placing that direction only after four weeks of allowing proceedings of the Delhi High Court case on the Two Leaves, which, according to the order, was "in its last leg."