The Madras High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Election Commission on a petition by a former supporter of AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran, seeking to restrain the poll body from registering the party without hearing him.
Justice CV Karthikeyan issued the notice to the EC and posted the matter to Monday for further hearing.
V Pugazhendi, who has recently said he would join the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, submitted that Dinakaran has filed an application before the EC for the registration of the AMMK as per the statutory norms laid down under section 29-A of the Representation of Peoples Act.
The former AMMK leader contended that Dinakaran has proclaimed himself as the general secretary of the party proposed to be registered and even nominated the office bearers as per his own choice without convening the general body meeting.
No membership application form or card had been filled by any of the cadre and he had been raising objections to the manner in which the party was being run, the petitioner submitted.
Dinakaran has also not framed the constitution of the proposed party in a proper manner, he claimed and contended that any process of granting registration to the AMMK without hearing and affording an opportunity to him would cause undue hardship and irreparable loss to the public.
According to The Hindu, the HC initially questioned the locus standi of Pugazhendi, when he has walked out of the party even though AMMK is yet to officially expel him. The judge raised concerns that the petitioner should not end up using the court to settle indifferences. When the petitioner's counsel pointed out that Pugazhendi has submitted an affidavit along with 99 other to the EC, the court said that he should have asked the poll body to ignore that affidavit while considering AMMK’s plea.
(With inputs from PTI)