SC allows Tamil Nadu to use Stalin's name in schemes

India Aug 06, 2025

The Supreme Court has just allowed Tamil Nadu to use Chief Minister MK Stalin's name in government schemes again, overturning a previous ban from the Madras High Court.
That earlier rule had stopped the use of any living person's name or image in state projects after a petition by AIADMK MP C Ve Shanmugam.

Court slams petitioner, says only TN follows such restriction

The Supreme Court pointed out that only Tamil Nadu was following this kind of restriction, even though other states do similar things.
To reinforce their stance, they fined Shanmugam ₹10 lakh, with the money going toward underprivileged schemes.
The court said rules like these should be fair and consistent across India—not just targeted at one state or leader.