Security on the Madras High Court campus has been beefed up as DMK president M. Karunanidhi is expected to appear before the Principal Sessions Judge on Monday in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against him by the State government.
As the 91-year-old DMK leader had confirmed in a statement about his appearance at the court around 10 a.m., the security agencies are expecting party cadres to gather in large numbers, and hence the arrangements.
As the security in Principal Sessions Judge doesn’t come under the purview of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is manning only the buildings housing the Madras High Court, the State police have made the arrangements.
Principal Sessions Judge M. Athinathan had last month asked Mr. Karunanidhi and editor Selvam of DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli to appear before the court on January 18, while hearing criminal defamation cases filed against them by the State government.
The City Public Prosecutor had alleged that Mr. Karunanidhi wrote an article in Murasoli about the AIADMK government’s performance in the last four years, which per se was defamatory.
In his statement last week, Mr. Karunanidhi said, “The AIADMK government is resorting to filing defamation complaints to intimidate the Opposition and media houses. Ananda Vikatan has already announced that it would face the case filed against it. As far as I am concerned, this is one of the many cases filed by the State government.”
Even as his lawyers suggested obtaining an interim stay on the defamation proceedings, he told them that about his decision to appear before the court, Mr. Karunanidhi added.
