Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to DMK President M.K.Stalin on an application filed by state municipal administration minister S.P.Velumani, which sought to restrain Stalin from in any manner uttering during election campaigns or propagating through the print media or though the internet any defamatory or false stories and allegations against him and his family members.
Justice R.Subramaniam, before whom the application arising out of a suit filed by S.P.Velumani came up for hearing on Thursday, ordered notice and posted to April 16, further hearing of the case.
In his suit, Velumani also sought a direction to Stalin to pay him a sum of Rs 1 crore as damages for lowering his reputation in the eyes of the public together with interest at 12 percent per annum from the date of filing of the suit till the date of realisation.
In his application, Velumani submitted that on April 4, Stalin during his speeches at various public gatherings at Thondamuthur, Kuniamuthur, Pollachi and at the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association defamed him. He allegedly called him as a fraudster, indulging in corrupt activities and attempting to shield the accused in Pollachi sex scam case and was close to one ‘Bar’ Nagarajan, a prime accused in the Pollachi case.
The allegations made by Stalin were baseless, unsubstantiated and made with singular objective of maligning his name in the eyes of the public and right thinking members of the society. These allegations have been made in desperation only with a view to garner votes for the DMK party, which has been out of power in the state for the last several years, he added.
