[Defamation Suit] DMK Moves HC Against AIADMK Chief EPS, Seeks Rs 1 Cr In Damages

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Justice RMT Teekaa Raman, before whom the case filed by DMK’s organization secretary R.S. Bharathi was presented, scheduled further hearing for next week.

Chennai: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has filed a suit in the Madras High Court on Friday(25th Oct), demanding Rs. 1 crore in damages from AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami over alleged defamatory remarks made against the party on social media.

Justice RMT Teekaa Raman, before whom the case filed by DMK’s organization secretary R.S. Bharathi was presented, scheduled further hearing for next week.

BRIEF FACTS

In his petition, Bharathi also sought an injunction preventing Palaniswami, the Leader of the Opposition, from making any references linking the DMK to Jaffer Sadiq, an alleged drug kingpin. He claimed the defamatory post, shared on March 8, 2024, accused the DMK government of increasing crime rates and bringing shame to Tamil Nadu through drug trafficking activities.

Bharathi further stated that Palaniswami had urged the public to join a human chain protest against the supposed misgovernance of the DMK-led administration.

According to Bharathi, Palaniswami shared another post on the social media platform ‘X’ the following day, reiterating the allegations. Additionally, he altered the name of his official handle to “Say No To Drugs & DMK” to strengthen his accusations.

Bharathi alleged that Palaniswami published a third post, directly implicating the DMK, its President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and the Youth Wing Secretary and Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, as being connected to Jaffer Sadiq, who is under investigation for involvement in international drug trafficking.

Bharathi argued that these posts aimed to damage the DMK’s public image by falsely associating the party with Sadiq, who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau. He emphasized that the DMK had no connection with Sadiq’s activities and noted that Sadiq had been removed from his position as Deputy Coordinator of the NRI wing for Chennai West on February 25, 2024 well before his arrest.

Despite this, Palaniswami allegedly continued to link Sadiq’s actions with the DMK, disregarding publicly available information confirming the disassociation. Bharathi contended that Palaniswami’s posts lacked truth and were premature, with no effort made to verify the facts, thereby unjustly maligning the party’s reputation.

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