The government on Thursday filed a defamation case against India Today , a weekly, in the Principal Sessions Court for publishing a news item recently in its Tamil publication that allegedly defamed Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The complaint was filed by City Public Prosecutor (CPP) M.L. Jegan on behalf of the Chief Minister. The complainant also sought to prosecute the weekly’s Editorial Director M.J. Akbar and eight others.
According to CPP, the statement alleging that the Chief Minister dropped K.A. Sengottaian from the Cabinet due to influence and pressure of another person, insinuating that the Chief Minister was unable to take decision on her own, was clearly indicative of malicious and deliberate intention of the accused. It submitted that “the Chief Minister has always been independent and has taken decision with respect to the better administration of the government, only on her own accord, considering larger public interest”. The weekly, without verification and any enquiry, published the fallacious news item with the sole intention to defame the good will, reputation and independent image of the Chief Minister.
