The Principal Sessions Court in Chennai on Wednesday ordered issue of summons to DMK president M. Karunanidhi and S. Selvam, printer, publisher and editor of the Tamil daily, Murasoli, to appear before it in connection with a defamation case filed against them by the State government.
Taking the complaint on file, P. Kalaiarasan, Principal Sessions Judge, ordered that summons be issued to them to appear before the court on October 10.
The defamation complaint filed on August 31 against the DMK leader and the daily for publishing a news item ‘Kalaignar Pathilgal’ commenting on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s stay at Kodanad Estate in the Nilgris district.
Meanwhile, the Principal Sessions Court here returned a defamation complaint filed against The Times of India for publishing a news article, holding that it did not contain anything defamatory against the Chief Minister. While returning the complaint, the Principal Sessions Judge said in his order: “A deeper reading of the alleged offending article does not contribute anything against the Chief Minister of the State.”
Directing the government side to state within 15 days how the complaint was maintainable, the Judge said, “The article has to be construed as a whole. The caption of the news article has to be seen in the light of substance of the article. Hence, how the complaint is maintainable is to be stated.”
The City Public Prosecutor filed the defamation case in connection with a report on August 25 about inaction in preventing drunk driving. Stating that the article defamed the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the CPP had sought to prosecute a reporter, the printer, publisher and editor for a report titled “Tamil Nadu gives its drivers a licence to kill.”
