The DMK on Saturday threatened to launch civil and criminal defamation proceedings against BJP State president K. Annamalai for allegedly levelling defamatory charges against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin and demanded damages to the tune of ₹100 crore from him.
In a notice, DMK organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi said Mr. Annamalai should tender an unconditional public apology and desist from making defamatory statements against the Chief Minister who is in Dubai, promoting trade. The notice has been sent by the DMK MP and senior advocate P. Wilson.
Mr. Bharathi termed as “baseless and defamatory” the allegations of Mr. Annamalai that the Chief Minister’s family function was taking place in Dubai.
“Even a layman knows that the Dubai Expo 2022 is currently taking place, and the Chief Minister is attending it to attract investments in the interest of the State. The media have documented that he met top leaders of Dubai and industry leaders, who have already responded positively to investing in Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Bharathi said.
Accusing Mr. Annamalai of making the statements for cheap publicity and to gain political mileage at the expense of the reputation and image of Mr. Stalin, he said the statements, besides being defamatory, were anti-national and liable to be dealt with sedition since he was attempting to sabotage foreign investments to India.
Mr. Bharathi said it had already been settled that the right to freedom of speech and expression was subject to reasonable restrictions, which include defamation of a person.
Reacting to the DMK’s threats of a defamation suit, Mr. Annamalai said he would face it in court. “I have full faith in our Judiciary,” he said in a tweet.
