NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MARCH 14
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday filed defamation petitions against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP’s state president K Annamalai for making “scandalous, defamatory statements”, by linking him to drug peddling in the wake of the arrest of expelled DMK functionary Jafar Sadiq, with an intention to harm the goodwill and reputation he has among the public.
- Since the scandalous statements of both the leaders constituted defamation, having ‘a direct and reasonable nexus’ with the discharge of public functions of the Chief Minister; and so, it is punishable under section 500 of IPC
The petitions were filed through City Public Prosecutor G Devarajan at the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai. Referring to a March 8, 2024 press meet of Palaniswami, the petition stated that ‘significant harm’ has been caused to the ‘goodwill and reputation’ of the Chief Minister in the eyes of his peers and the general public with the ‘malicious intent of gaining unjust political advantage by linking him with the distribution of pseudoephedrine and aiding the drug peddlers.’
“The defamatory statement was made intending to harm the reputation of the CM in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public function,” the petition stated.
It added that it is seeking to prosecute AIADMK general secretary for his defamatory speech, which was made without any basis or evidence against the public servant / constitutional functionary since it amounted to defamation as defined under section 499 of the IPC.
A separate defamation petition was filed against Annamalai for similar reasons. Since the scandalous statements of both the leaders constituted defamation, having ‘a direct and reasonable nexus’ with the discharge of public functions of the Chief Minister; and so, it is punishable under section 500 of IPC, the petition said.
