Supreme Court sets aside Madras High Court order over Stalin-named government scheme
'Launching schemes in the names of political leaders is a phenomenon followed throughout the country. If the petitioner was so concerned about the misuse of public funds, he could have challenged all schemes,' the court observed.Arguing for Tamil Nadu, senior advocate AM Singhvi said more than 20 schemes had been named after former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa (popularly known as Amma), and even central government schemes use political names.The state maintained that the 'Yours Stalin' scheme, launched on June 19, was aimed at addressing gaps in citizen awareness about welfare benefits and eligibility — not glorification of the Chief Minister.The petitioner's counsel, senior advocate Maninder Singh, contended that government schemes should maintain political neutrality and not include names of politicians. He cited Supreme Court judgments to argue against the inclusion of names and photographs of political leaders.But the court dismissed the arguments, noting that the Common Cause judgment only restricted certain kinds of political publicity and allowed the use of names and photos of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, President, and relevant cabinet ministers.The court also took issue with the petitioner approaching the High Court directly, instead of waiting for a response from the Election Commission to his representation. It said the manner in which the petition was filed — and the sweeping observations made against the ECI — were questionable.'There is no model code of conduct in force in Tamil Nadu. Time and again, we've said political battles must be fought before the electorate, not in court,' the bench said.The top court allowed Tamil Nadu's appeal, quashed the High Court's interim order, and dismissed the original writ petition, with a cost of Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the state. The court directed that the amount be used for the implementation of any welfare scheme for the underprivileged.- EndsMust Watch
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