Overview

• The Supreme Court has set an August 6 hearing for the DMK government’s appeal against a Madras High Court interim order that bars use of living politicians’ names and portraits in welfare scheme promotions.
• On July 31, a division bench of the Madras High Court restrained the state from naming any new or rebranded public welfare schemes after living individuals and from using former chief ministers’ images or DMK insignia in advertisements.
• Tamil Nadu officials filed a clarification petition seeking to exempt existing Ungaludan Stalin and the newly launched Nalam Kaakkum Stalin schemes, yet proceeded to launch the latter on August 2 before any modification was granted.
• AIADMK MP C. Ve. Shanmugam lodged a contempt petition against the public and health department secretaries for allegedly violating the interim order by launching ‘Nalam Kaakkum Stalin’ without court approval.
• The case underscores wider questions about judicial limits on leader-centric political branding and government advertising as Tamil Nadu gears up for its 2026 assembly elections.