In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court of India has overturned a Madras High Court ruling that prohibited the Tamil Nadu government from naming state welfare schemes after current Chief Minister MK Stalin. The apex court, while setting aside the earlier order, criticized the petitioner—AIADMK MP C Ve Shanmugam—for selectively targeting the ruling DMK and its leader. It pointed out that many Indian states have named schemes after political leaders, and singling out one government for scrutiny appeared biased. The top court emphasized that such selective litigation undermines the fairness expected in judicial matters.
The Madras High Court had, on July 31, imposed a sweeping ban on the use of names or photographs of living political figures, former chief ministers, or ideological icons in the nomenclature or promotion of government schemes. This included restrictions on party symbols, emblems, and flags in state-sponsored programs. The bench, led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan, had said that associating welfare initiatives with political identities violated guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India.
However, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the High Court’s rationale and imposed a ₹10 lakh fine on the petitioner for what it deemed an “abuse of the process of law.” The bench directed that the fine amount be deposited with the Tamil Nadu government and utilized for the welfare of underprivileged communities. It also warned against dragging the judiciary into political conflicts and noted that the petitioner had hastily approached the court without awaiting a response from the Election Commission—an action the Supreme Court labeled as legally improper and politically motivated.
