High Court Defers PMK Dispute Hearing Till May

The Madras High Court on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) told a Chennai City Civil Court to take up a case related to an internal dispute in the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) only after May 10. This is because the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections and Puducherry elections will be over by then.

The case involves a dispute between PMK founder S. Ramadoss and his son R. Anbumani. Both are part of different groups within the party.

Justice T.V. Thamilselvi gave the order after agreeing with senior lawyer N.L. Rajah. He was representing PMK general secretary Vadivel Ravanan, who supports Anbumani’s side.

The judge said that it may not be proper for courts to deal with internal party disputes after election dates are announced. Because of this, the court decided not to make any immediate changes to the ongoing case.

The High Court also did not lift the stay order on the case in the lower court right now. It made it clear that the matter can be taken up only after the election process is completed.