Legal Battle Over Naming Tamil Nadu Schemes Reaches SC

• AIADMK MP C. Ve. Shanmugam filed a contempt petition against Tamil Nadu government officials.
• The petition alleges a violation of a Madras High Court order that barred the use of living politicians’ names in government schemes.
• The DMK government has appealed the High Court’s interim order, and the Supreme Court is set to hear the case on August 6.

GG News Bureau
Chennai/New Delhi, 4th Aug: A political and legal battle over the naming of government schemes in Tamil Nadu is set to reach the Supreme Court after the DMK government challenged a Madras High Court interim order that barred the use of names of living political personalities. The developments come as AIADMK MP C. Ve. Shanmugam filed a contempt petition against two state secretaries for allegedly violating the court’s directive.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Tamil Nadu government’s plea on August 6. The state, in its petition, has argued that the Madras High Court’s order imposes “sweeping restrictions” that are “completely contrary” to previous Supreme Court judgments on the matter. It contends that the Chief Minister is a constitutional functionary and that the decision to name welfare schemes is part of the executive’s prerogative.

The dispute stems from a Madras High Court interim order issued on July 31, which followed a petition from Shanmugam against the DMK’s “Ungaludan Stalin” (Stalin with You) program. The order prohibited the use of names of living political personalities in new schemes and barred photographs of former Chief Ministers or ideological leaders in publicity materials.

However, despite the order, the state government launched the “Nalam Kaakkum Stalin” (Wellness Ensuring Stalin) health initiative on August 2. In response, Shanmugam filed a contempt petition against the state’s Health and Public Department Secretaries, alleging “blatant violation” of the court’s order.

The Madras High Court, on Monday, adjourned the hearing on the state’s plea for clarification to August 7, stating it would await the Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday.

The DMK government has argued that the use of political names is not a new practice, pointing to the AIADMK’s “Amma” schemes and the BJP’s “NaMo” app. The ongoing legal battle, coming just months before the 2026 assembly elections, is poised to set a new precedent for how government welfare schemes can be named and promoted in the state.