Madras High Court disallows both EPS and OPS factions from accessing 13 kg gold armour gifted by late Jayalalithaa

The Madras High Court recently said that neither of the two factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - one led by O Panneerselvam (OPS) and the other by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) - can access the gold armour that the party uses each year to adorn the statute of late socialist Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar to commemorate his birth anniversary [AIADMK v. The Branch Manager]. .In an order passed on October 26, Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan of the Madurai Bench said that the Thevar gold armour will be in the possession of the Ramanathapuram district revenue officer for the 'Muthuramalinga Thevar Jayanti' that is to be observed between October 27 and October 30. The Court also directed the local Superintendent of Police to make adequate security arrangements for the event..EPS faction leader Dindigul C Sreenivasan had filed a petition before the High Court seeking custody of the 13 kilogram gold armour that was purchased in 2014 by late AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minster J Jayalalithaa as a gift to be used for the event every year.OPS objected to Sreenivasan's plea through an impleadment application saying that the party's tussle over leadership was still pending before the Supreme Court. He had also sent a legal notice to the local branch of the Bank of India - where the armour is kept in a joint account held by the party and the Thevar Memorial - saying that the golden armour should not be handed over to the EPS camp..After hearing the parties, the High Court held,"However, the prayer sought for by the petitioner as well as the impleading petitioner A and B party cannot be permitted to be implemented in the interest of law and order problem which might arise. As the A and B party are under logger heads. In fact, the Hon'ble Division Bench in para No.49 has directed the parties to resolve their differences in the pending suit. This Court is of the view that under these circumstances, it may not be feasible to accept the prayer made by the petitioner A party as well as the claim made by the impleading petitioner B party as lakhs and lakhs of people will be thronging to celebrate the occasion. However, both the parties are directed to adhere to the directions issued by the Hon'ble Division Bench as the matter is subjudice."It clarified that the celebration of the event and the adorning of the statue with the gold armour should not be stopped merely because there is a dispute between the two factions of the AIADMK. The order further stated,"This Court is of the view that since the armour was directed to be placed on the deity coupled with an obligation in MoU that the said gold armour will be received by the treasurer of AIADMK party and the third respondent who would operate the said account and redeposit the same with Bank is certainly not possible as there is a claim and counter claim by A and B parties.".Thus, the district revenue officer was tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding the gold armour and redepositing the same with the bank after the ceremony is over. The EPS and OPS factions were directed not to interfere in this process..Senior Advocate Vijay Narayanan and Advocate A Tamilselvam appeared for Sreenivasan, while Senior Advocate K Chellapandian and Advocate P Rajalakshmi appeared for OPS.Advocate Pala Ramaswamy appeared for Bank of India, while Advocate J Anandhavalli appeared for the Thevar Memorial..[Read Order]