Supreme Court asks ECI to expedite decision on TMC name and symbol dispute
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to indicate how much time it would need to decide the dispute over the Trinamool Congress name and its traditional “Flowers & Grass” election symbol.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was hearing a plea filed by former West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee challenging the ECI’s interim decision to freeze the party’s name and symbol.
The court asked the poll panel to propose a reasonable timeline for completing the proceedings, while ensuring that both sides are given a fair opportunity to present their case.
The CJI observed that the matter needed to be decided without unnecessary delay, referring to the experience of the prolonged dispute involving the Shiv Sena.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mamata Banerjee, argued that the ECI had kept the dispute pending for months before passing its interim order during the ongoing by-election process. He submitted that the delay had left the party without an effective remedy.
The ECI had on September 17 ordered an interim freeze on the use of the “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the “Flowers & Grass” symbol after finding that two rival groups were claiming to represent the party.
The poll panel subsequently allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player”symbol to the Mamata Banerjee-led faction. The rival faction was allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress”and the “Envelope” symbol.
The ECI has said the arrangement is only interim and that the substantive dispute over the party’s identity will be decided separately under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
The dispute has come into focus ahead of the October 6 Assembly by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar, where candidates from the rival factions have sought to contest under competing identities.
The Supreme Court adjourned the matter until next week after asking the ECI to come back with its proposed timeline.
