The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission (EC) to consider allotting a common symbol -- pressure cooker -- to the TTV Dinakaran-led AMMK for contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, and by-elections to 20 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

A bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Ajay Rastogi in their judgment also asked the Delhi High Court to dispose off the appeal filed by the AMMK against the EC decision to allot the two leaves symbol to the AIADMK led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palaniswami in four weeks.

If for some reason, the court said, the appeal against the EC order could not be disposed off by the High Court in four weeks, the EC should pass an order allotting a common symbol to Dinakaran's AMMK.

The top court's direction came on an appeal by Palaniswami challenging the March 2016 interim order of the Delhi High Court asking the EC to allot a common symbol to Dinakaran's group.

While disposing off the appeal by Palaniswami, the top court virtually upheld the High Court's interim order and asked the EC to decide the allotment of a common symbol as per the High Court's order.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Kallakurichi, TTV Dhinakaran said, “The order is good and clear. They (the court) is also clear that a case should not be pending the High Courts or the Supreme Court. They have given instructions to the High Court in the operative portions. There is no setback in this.”

The AIADMK had split into two groups and both claimed the two leaves election symbol. The Election Commission recognised Palaniswami's group as the real AIADMK and gave it the two leaves symbol.

(With IANS input)