In his complaints filed separately on Thursday, 14 March, City Public Prosecutor G Devarajan sought to punish the duo for offences under section 499 and 500 IPC (Defamation).
Edappadi K Palaniswami, K Annamalai
Defamation complaints have been filed before a sessions court against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP state president K Annamalai for their statements against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin relating to the alleged distribution of drugs in the state.
In his complaints filed separately on Thursday, 14 March, on behalf of the state government, City Public Prosecutor G Devarajan sought to punish the duo for offences under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the IPC.
Devarajan, in his complaint, submitted that Palaniswami, the state Leader of the Opposition, in a recent press meet made defamatory statements against the CM, intending to harm the reputation of Stalin in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public functions.
He said while the chief minister has taken various steps towards ‘Drug-free Tamil Nadu’, the present defaming statement of the accused falsely links him to the alleged distribution of contraband by aiding drug peddlers.
Devarajan said in fact, the chief minister, in the course of discharging his public function, gave the call to eliminate narcotic drugs from the state at a meeting in 2022, pursuant to which numerous measures were taken, as was evident from the Policy Note 2023-2024 of the Department of Home, Prohibition and Excise, Government of Tamil Nadu.
He said the defamatory statements of the accused strike at the very core of ethical governance and public trust, tarnishing the reputation of the esteemed office and undermining the principles of justice and integrity.
The consequences of such a defamatory statement extend far beyond mere political rivalry. They have the potential to inflict irreparable harm upon the social fabric of the State, Devarajan added.
Devarajan filed a similar defamation complaint separately against Annamalai for his alleged defamatory statement on his ‘X’ account.
Responding to it, AIADMK leader and former minister D Jayakumar said it has become ‘routine’ for the ruling dispensation to file cases against his party leaders and workers.
“They have done so ever since they came to power (in 2021). We will certainly face it, people know the truth,” he told reporters in Chennai.
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![[Left] File photo of BJP MLA Harish Poonja, who has been booked, and [right] Poonja sitting for a protest in front of Belthangady Police Station in the early hours of Sunday, 19 May, 2024.](https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media.thesouthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Harish-Poonja-and-Belthangady.jpg "Harish Poonja and Belthangady")
