CHENNAI: THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has refused to restrain Ponraj, scientific advisor to former president A P J Abdul Kalam, from floating the Abdul Kalam Vision India Party.
Originally, by representations dated March 9 and 14 this year to the ECI, the late Kalam’s elder brother A P J Mohammed Muthu Meera Maraikayar in Rameswaram has raised objections to registering Abdul Kalam Vision India Party, floated by Ponraj and another.
Maraikayar had also moved the Madras High Court, and a vacation judge on May 6 last granted an interim injunction restraining the party from using the name/picture of Abdul Kalam, pending a final decision by the ECI on Maraikayar’s representations.
On an application preferred by party president and secretary, another judge of the vacation court on May 13 modified the May 6 order. It directed that the applicants may use the name/figurine/picture of Abdul Kalam in their individual capacity and not in the name of the party.
When the matter came up again on June 21 last, the court took note of the ECI counsel’s submission that appropriate decision would be taken on the issue without being influenced by the order of injunction passed on May 6. The matter was adjourned to July 19.
In its rejection order dated July 19, the ECI referred to a similar matter wherein on November 23, 1992, it held that national leaders cannot be said to be the exclusive right or property of any particular party or organisation and those who believe in the philosophy/ideology of such leaders cannot be prevented from propagating the same by using the name. Subsequently, in a similar decision in the matter of name ‘All India Indira Congress’, the ECI had permitted the name to be used by a splinter party, which split away from the Indian National Congress. When the decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, the only modification ordered by the apex court was to add the suffix ‘Tiwari’ to the name All India Indira Congress.
The matter stands adjourned till August 2.