A Chennai court on Monday issued summons to the author of an article published in a Tamil bi-weekly, its editor, printer and publisher on a criminal defamation complaint filed by the Tamil Nadu government.
The government had last week filed the complaint saying the ‘Junior Vikatan’ on August 21 last year, had published an article in connection with a bomb blast on a railway track near Perani Railway Station in Villupuram district “causing harm to the reputation of Chief Minster M Karunanidhi in the discharge of public functions”.
It was submitted that the article has charged the Chief Minister with “malicious and per se defamatory words and the bi-weekly had committed offences under Section 499 punishable under Sections 500 and 501 of IPC”.
When the matter came up today, Principal Sessions Judge P Devadoss ordered issuance of notice to the author of the article, the bi-weekly’s editor, printer and publisher and posted the matter for February one for further hearing.
