The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court (SC) after the Madras High Court (HC) issued an order restraining the state from naming any schemes after the current Chief Minister, MK Stalin. The High Court's directive emphasizes that public programs should maintain political neutrality.
The Madras High Court's order came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by AIADMK MP C.Ve. Shanmugam. Shanmugam's petition sought to prevent the Tamil Nadu government from introducing or renaming any scheme after a living person, particularly Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The PIL also called for action against the ruling DMK under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, citing violations of Supreme Court and Election Commission of India (ECI) norms regarding political publicity through government-funded initiatives.
Senior advocate Vijay Narayan, representing Shanmugam, argued that the state had launched a scheme titled "Ungaludan Stalin" (With You, Stalin), accompanied by advertisements featuring the Chief Minister's name, party symbol, and photographs of ideological leaders, which he said violated Supreme Court and ECI norms. He also cautioned the court about another scheme scheduled for launch on August 2, seeking a directive to prevent the DMK from repeating such alleged violations in its publicity campaign. Advocate General P.S. Raman, however, denied the allegations, stating that the government-issued advertisement did not carry any party symbol and complied with regulations.
The High Court clarified that its order did not prevent the implementation of schemes but only restricted their nomenclature and promotional content from including names or images of living personalities. The court observed that government welfare initiatives funded by public money should remain politically neutral in presentation.
Following the High Court's ruling, the Tamil Nadu government approached the court, seeking clarification that the interim order would not apply to the "Ungaludan Stalin" and "Nalam Kaakum Stalin" schemes. The government argued that the scheme was introduced in the name of the Chief Minister, who is a constitutional authority, and should not be construed as being introduced in the name of a political personality. The state also argued that the use of photos of former chief ministers is not expressly prohibited under the orders passed by the Supreme Court.
The state government emphasized that all pamphlets, brochures, health camp application forms, and other related documents for the "Nalam Kaakum Stalin" scheme had already been printed and distributed throughout the state in preparation for its launch on August 2. The "Nalam Kaakum Stalin" scheme involves specialty health screening camps targeting people above 40 years, pregnant women, nursing mothers, people with disabilities, and tribal and marginalized populations. The camps offer free consultations with specialists from various departments, on-site diagnostics, and test results delivered via WhatsApp.
The Madras High Court has scheduled the hearing of the MP's PIL petition, along with a similar case, for August 13, after the filing of counter affidavits and rejoinders. In the meantime, the Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court in response to the High Court's order.
