SC sets aside Madras HC order restricting CM’s name in Govt schemes

New Delhi, Aug 6: The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed a Madras High Court order that had barred the use of sitting Chief Ministers’ names in government welfare schemes, ruling that the petition was legally flawed and politically motivated, reports Bar & Bench. As reported by Bar & Bench, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria, allowed the appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government in the case [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam v. CV Shanmugam & Ors], and imposed a cost of Rs 10 lakh on the petitioner, AIADMK MP CV Shanmugam. “We are of the view that the writ petition itself was not only misconceived in law but also an abuse of process of law,” the Bench stated, dismissing the case pending before the High Court as reported by Bar & Bench, The court observed that naming welfare schemes after political leaders is a pan-India practice, and questioned why the petitioner singled out Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s scheme titled ‘Stalin is with you’. “If the petitioner was genuinely concerned about misuse of public funds, he should have challenged all such schemes,” the judges said.

While referring to a list of 45 such schemes in Tamil Nadu named after various leaders, the Court noted that it would not list them to avoid embarrassment. The Bench also emphasised that political disputes should be resolved through electoral processes, not by misusing the courts.

During the hearing, Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi, and P Wilson represented the Tamil Nadu government and DMK, defending the naming convention and dismissing the High Court petition as politically driven. On the opposing side, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh argued for the AIADMK that naming the scheme after the CM amounted to “personal glorification.” Ultimately, the apex court ruled that the High Court had erred in entertaining the writ petition and reiterated that the Common Cause judgment does not prohibit naming schemes after current political leaders.