The State government has filed a criminal defamation case against activist Jayaram Venkatesan, managing trustee of non-governmental organisation Arappor Iyakkam, for having accused Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani of corruption in awarding Corporation contracts, during a television debate on December 7.
Esteemed individual
The City Public Prosecutor (CPP) has filed the case on the basis of sanction accorded by the government on June 3. In the complaint lodged before the Principal Sessions Court, the CPP stated that the Minister was held in high esteem by all sections of people in the State, irrespective of their caste, community, race or religion.
They had elected him as their representative in the Legislative Assembly elections held in 2016, and he enjoyed a very high reputation among them. When such were the circumstances, the activist had made “defamatory, scandalous, disparaging and highly provocative” statements against the Minister in the television debate last year, the complainant claimed.
‘Mischievous speech’
It was also claimed that the allegations were levelled deliberately with the intention of causing harm to the reputation of the Minister and his administration. Extracting the speech in the complaint, the prosecutor said: “The above speech is mischievous and clearly constitutes an offence of defamation under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code.”
When the case was listed before the Principal Sessions Court on Wednesday, Mr. Venkatesan appeared before the presiding officer and sought copies of the complaint as well as the supporting documents.
The judge directed the prosecution to serve the copies on him and adjourned further hearing on the case to August 28.
