Madras High Court dismisses cases filed by PMK founder Ramadoss seeking to freeze ‘mango’ symbol

CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Friday (February 20, 2026) dismissed two writ petitions filed by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss seeking a direction to Election Commission of India (ECI) to either let his faction use the ‘mango’ symbol during the ensuing Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry or freeze the symbol altogether so that the faction led by his son R. Anbumani too would not be able to use it.

First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan refused to entertain the two writ petitions after agreeing with the ECI standing counsel Niranjan Rajagoplan that factional disputes in a political party could be resolved only through a civil court decree and no such direction as sought by the party founder could be issued to the election commission.

After finding that a civil suit had already been filed in connection with the rival claims between the father and son over party presidentship, the judges said, the party founder ought not have approached the High Court with the present writ petitions instead of working out his remedy before the civil court. During the course of hearing, the judges also wanted to know why the dispute could not be solved through mediation.

Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, assisted by K. Balu, representing the faction led by Dr. Anbumani, said, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the High Court had in August 2025 asked the father and son to meet him in his chambers, after court hours, in order to mediate a truce. While the son appeared in person, the father appeared through video call but the mediation failed since the father refused to talk with the son.

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“The father is old. He has lost control over the party. There is a serious dispute as to whether he had even signed these papers (related to the two writ petitions before the court),” the senior counsel told the Chief Justice’s Bench. However, advocate K. Arul, representing Dr. Ramadoss, took serious objection to the submissions made in the court on behalf of Dr. Anbumani’s faction.

“I strongly object to it MiLords. I just now spoke to the petitioner. He is fully fit. He is swimming and walking. He is attending campaigning throughout Tamil Nadu. They are making false allegations. All these are concocted stories. My friend (Mr. Narayan) cannot be given an audience because he is not a party to the present proceedings,” Mr. Arul said and lamented that that Dr. Anbumani does not heed to his father.

“He (Dr. Anbumani) has taken away the party and he has grabbed everything. Father is 87 years old and this is the father who made his doctor son as a Union Minister at the age of 35,” Mr. Arul rued.