The Supreme Court today refused to acknowledge TTV Dhinakaran led AMMK's claim for the cooker symbol, but, granted the party's request for its candidates to contest under a common symbol. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also made it clear that its order asking the EC to consider granting common election symbol would not amount to granting recognition to his outfit as a political group and its candidates would be treated as Independents for all practical purposes.
The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said that it was the duty and the rights of the Election Commission only to consider granting registration to Dhinakaran's outfit as a political party and it will be done in due course by the poll panel. "The Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has recommended allotting all the 59 candidates [Parliamentary and bypolls] a common symbol and determine them as Independent Parties, in view of free and fair elections and a 'level-playing field' for the contestants," N Raja Senthoor Pandian, counsellor for Dhinakaran, told reporters.
With the nominations for the Lok Sabha elections set to be sealed off on Tuesday afternoon, the direction for allotment of a common symbol for "The Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has recommended allotting all the 59 candidates [Parliamentary and bypolls] a common symbol and determine them as Independent Parties, in view of free and fair elections and a 'level-playing field' for the contestants," N Raja Senthoor Pandian, counsellor for Dhinakaran, told reporters.
With the nominations for the Lok Sabha elections set to be sealed off on Tuesday afternoon, the direction for allotment of a common symbol appeared as a relief at the eleventh hour.
The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said that it was the duty and the rights of the Election Commission only to consider granting registration to Dhinakaran's outfit as a political party and it will be done in due course by the poll panel. "The Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has recommended allotting all the 59 candidates [Parliamentary and bypolls] a common symbol and determine them as Independent Parties, in view of free and fair elections and a 'level-playing field' for the contestants," N Raja Senthoor Pandian, counsellor for Dhinakaran, told reporters.
With the nominations for the Lok Sabha elections set to be sealed off on Tuesday afternoon, the direction for allotment of a common symbol for "The Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has recommended allotting all the 59 candidates [Parliamentary and bypolls] a common symbol and determine them as Independent Parties, in view of free and fair elections and a 'level-playing field' for the contestants," N Raja Senthoor Pandian, counsellor for Dhinakaran, told reporters.
With the nominations for the Lok Sabha elections set to be sealed off on Tuesday afternoon, the direction for allotment of a common symbol appeared as a relief at the eleventh hour.
