NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 29
Tamil Nadu Union of Journalists (TUJ) on Thursday welcomed Chief Minister M K Stalin for ordering the withdrawal of 90 defamation cases against journalists, dailies and television channels.
Fulfilling DMK’s poll promise that “all defamatory cases filed against journalists out of vengeance” would be withdrawn, Stalin ordered dropping of 90 libel cases, an official release here said. The cases were filed between 2012 and February 2021 against editors, printers and publishers of newspapers and television channels when the AIADMK was in power.
The English dailies The Hindu, The Times of India, The Economic Times, Tamil newspapers Dinamalar, DMK organ Murasoli, Dinakaran and Tamil magazines Ananda Vikatan, Junior Vikatan and Nakkeran faced such cases. The television channels were Puthiya Thalaimurai, News 7, Kalaignar Tholaikatchi, Sathiyam, Captain, NDTV and Times Now.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, the TUJ welcomed the GO issued by the government to withdraw 90 libel cases foisted against the media by previous regime from 2012 to February 2021.
Thanking the Chief Minister M K Stalin for his gesture in fulfilling DMK’s poll promise, the TUJ President DSR Subash recalled that the appeal to drop 93 cases foisted against journalists and media outlets were raised through DMK MP Tiruchi Siva before elections to the DMK high command. Subsequently, the party included in its manifesto promising to withdraw the cases, and it was fulfilled now, he added.
