PMK founder S. Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Madras High Court on Thursday (March 12, 2026) stayed all further proceedings in a civil suit filed by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss before a city civil court in Chennai to declare him as the president of the party and injunct his estranged son R. Anbumani from using the party name, flag, emblem and election symbol.
Justice T.V. Thamilselvi granted the interim stay till April 10, 2026, pursuant to a civil revision petition filed by Vadivel Ravanan who claimed to be the general secretary of the party and was aggrieved over the city civil court not having allowed an application filed by him to get impleaded in the civil suit.
Senior Counsel N.L. Rajah, representing the revision petitioner, said, Dr. Anbumani and Mr. Ravanan had been elected as president and general secretary respectively of the party since May 28, 2022, and their tenure had been extended till August 1, 2026 through a resolution passed by the general council on August 9, 2025.
He said, the 87-year-old founder of the party only had an advisory role sans any administrative authority. The founder could also not file any case in the name of the party without a valid authorisation. Yet, the suit before the city civil court had been filed in the name of PMK, represented by its founder.
Hence, an impleading petition was filed in the suit in the name of PMK, represented by its general secretary Mr. Ravanan, to apprise the court that the aged founder was not in a position to take administrative decisions and that he was being misled by a small fringe group to act against the interests of the party.
Instead of allowing the impleading petition by considering the inclusion of the general secretary as one of the defendants was essential before passing any orders in the case, the city civil court was proceeding to hear the applications filed by the founder seeking interim injunction, the senior counsel complained.
He sought a direction to the city civil court to dispose of the impleading application within a time frame. After ordering notice, returnable by April 10, to the party founder on the civil revision petition, Justice Thamilselvi stayed all further proceedings in the civil suit till then.
Published – March 12, 2026 10:00 pm IST
