Jaipur: The dispute over the ‘kite’ election symbol between the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the State Election Commission (SEC) has reached Rajasthan High Court ahead of the 2026 civic body elections, with the court reserving its order after hearing the parties.AIMIM Rajasthan president Jameel Khan has filed a petition before the HC seeking allotment of the ‘kite’ symbol to the party.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma heard the petition challenging SEC’s decision not to allot the ‘kite’ symbol to the party for the upcoming municipal elections on Aug 25. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court fixed Aug 31 for pronouncement of its order.The matter was first listed before Sharma on Aug 25. During the first hearing, the court directed the petitioner to provide a copy of the writ petition to advocate general. AIMIM subsequently complied with the direction.“We have provided the copy and the case is to be listed Monday top of the board of the court,” said Aarif Mohammed, counsel for the petitioner and AIMIM spokesperson.The petition seeks directions to SEC to allot the ‘kite’ symbol to AIMIM for its candidates in civic elections. The party has challenged the commission’s refusal through a letter on Aug 17, contending that its designated election symbol is an important part of its electoral identity.During arguments, Aarif submitted that the party should be allowed to contest the local body elections under the ‘kite’ symbol. The petitioner relied on constitutional and democratic principles and referred to earlier judgments of Supreme Court dealing with election symbols and the rights of political parties.“Eligible political parties should be given a level playing field in the electoral process and that decisions concerning allocation of election symbols must be taken in accordance with the applicable legal framework,” he argued.SEC’s decision has consequently come under judicial scrutiny, with the HC required to examine whether the refusal to allot the symbol is legally sustainable.
