Overview The Supreme Court on 23 March 2026 ordered the Pattali Makkal Katchi ( PMK ) to file a petition in a civil trial court for freezing its historic mango symbol . The move comes amid a bitter dispute between the party founder Dr S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss over the party presidency. Key Developments The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant , Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi dismissed the petition challenging the Madras High Court’s refusal to entertain writs seeking symbol freezing. The Court held that the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot resolve internal disputes of an unrecognised political party . Senior Advocate Vikas Singh highlighted the urgency as nomination deadlines for the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assemblies approach; the Court directed the civil court to decide the application within three days if filed by the next day. Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, representing Anbumani Ramadoss, argued that the party has lost state‑party status, rendering the ECI’s involvement untenable. Important Facts 1. The mango symbol can be in one of three states: allotted (assigned to a recognised party), free (available for any applicant via lottery), or frozen (temporarily withheld pending dispute resolution). 2. The Madras High Court previously held that the symbol dispute should be decided by the Trial Court because the leadership issue is already pending there. 3. A December 2025 Delhi High Court judgment affirmed that the ECI lacks jurisdiction over internal factional fights within an unrecognised party. UPSC Relevance The case illustrates several constitutional and administrative principles relevant to GS‑2 (Polity) : Separation of powers: the judiciary checks the administrative actions of the ECI. Electoral law: understanding the classification of party symbols and the criteria for party recognition. Judicial hierarchy: the role of the Supreme Court, High Courts, and trial courts in resolving political disputes. Federal structure: state‑party status impacts a party’s ability to contest elections across states. Way Forward • The PMK must promptly file a civil suit seeking a freeze on the mango symbol; the trial court is expected to rule within three days, ensuring clarity before the nomination deadline. • If the symbol is frozen, the ECI will retain it in limbo, preventing any other party from claiming it until the internal leadership dispute is settled. • The outcome will set a precedent on how intra‑party conflicts of unrecognised parties are adjudicated, potentially prompting legislative clarification on symbol‑freezing mechanisms.