The paintings on small buses do not resemble in any way the symbol of AIADMK party, the Transport Secretary has submitted in his counter-affidavit filed before the first bench of the Madras High Court, on Tuesday.
The counter, filed through Special Government Pleader IS Inbadurai, was in response to a PIL from DMK treasurer MK Stalin to remove the painting of two sets of two leaves on the government owned undertaking.
The counter said that the allegations made by the petitioner in the PIL are absolutely wrong. They had been made with mala fide intentions and with a vexatious and oblique motive so as to impute unreasonable and uncalled for allegations against the government and the Chief Minister.
There is no similarity or connection whatsoever between the ‘four leaves design’ found in the 50 new small buses and that of AIADMK’s two leaves symbol. The petition has been filed by a political party purely for political reasons. It is not a bona fide litigation and it is nothing but a gross abuse of the process of the court.
When DMK was in power, it had introduced party symbol in the plastic and gunny bags used by the ‘Arasu Cement’ for packing cement. The small buses scheme is one of the many welfare projects launched by the government.
AIADMK party symbol consists of two green leaves arising from a thick vertical stem with black and white borders. There are numerous black coloured veins inside the two leaves. Besides this, there is a circle consisting of three multiple coloured layers namely red, white and black encircling the background of two leaves. On the other hand, the design in the buses depicted four leaves. The two bigger leaves have got a separate stem and they are split. Of the two smaller leaves, placed above the bigger leaves, one is split and has got a small stem and the other has no stem and it is not split at all. All the leaves have no vein, Inbadurai pointed out.
When the case came up today, DMK’s senior counsel R Viduthalai sought time to file a rejoinder to the counter. He also said that the undertaking given by the State that it would not introduce more number of small buses in the future, should be continued. However, Government Pleader SDS Murthy replied that no such undertaking was given. The matter is adjourned till December 12.