HC reserves verdict on TV channel’s plea to lift ban from carrying defamatory reports against PMK

March 21, 2019 01:16 am | Updated 01:16 am IST - CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a plea by New Generation Media Corporation Private Limited to vacate an ex-parte interim injunction, granted by the court on Friday, restraining the applicant’s news television channel Puthiya Thalaimurai from telecasting news items or debate shows containing false or defamatory allegations against Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).

Justice R. Subramanian deferred his judgement after hearing elaborate arguments advanced on behalf of the owners of the television channel as well as PMK. Initially, the judge wanted to know if the television channel would be willing to carry a rebuttal from the party whenever any of the panellists called for live debate shows or the interviewees end up making false or derogatory remarks against the political party.

However, the channel told the court that it would not be possible to give any such undertaking. Hence, the judge heard the matter on merits before reserving the verdict on the plea for vacating the injunction.

The ex-parte interim injunction had been granted on Friday following a civil suit filed by G.K. Mani, president of PMK, accusing the channel of harbouring personal vengeance against it because his party leader S. Ramadoss had sought action against a group of educational institutions run by a trust headed by T.R. Pachamuthu, the father of P. Sathyanarayanan, the channel’s managing director.

However, denying the allegations, the television channel and its MD told the court that Mr. Pachamuthu had nothing do with the management or the editorial policy of the channel. They claimed that PMK had filed a “vexatious” suit only to prevent the media house from carrying any kind of news against it during the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha.

In a separate counter affidavit, Mr. Pachamuthu too asserted that he was not the founder of the television channel.

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