The Madras High Court on Monday granted time till August 18 for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M.K. Stalin to file his counter to a civil suit preferred by Tamil Nadu Assembly Deputy Speaker Pollachi V. Jayaraman seeking damages of ₹1 crore for having reportedly linked his name with the Pollachi serial sexual assault and blackmailing case.
Justice P.T. Asha granted the time after advocate Manuraj Shunmugasundaram accepted notices on behalf of Mr. Stalin, the latter’s son-in-law V. Sabareesan and Kalaignar TV Private Limited. Advocates P.T. Perumal and L. Shiva Kumar accepted notice for Nakheeran R. Gopal in the suit also preferred against S. Arivazhagan, Editor of Junior Vikatan.
The Deputy Speaker had sought for a direction to all the respondents to pay him ₹1 crore jointly for having reportedly damaged his reputation. He accused the DMK president of having made public speeches that were telecast on Kalaignar TV. He also accused the two Tamil magazines of publishing “false and defamatory” news reports intended at tarnishing his reputation.
Apart from seeking damages, the Deputy Speaker, through his counsel B. Arvind Srevatsa and Nithyashree Rajagopal, also sought for a permanent injunction restraining all respondents in the suit from making or publishing false and defamatory statements against him in any manner besides granting an interim injunction until the disposal of the civil suit.
In an affidavit filed in support of his case, Mr. Jayaraman, 67, said, he was a member of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and that he had been elected to the Legislative Assembly from Pollachi constituency for four consecutive terms since 2001. He was also a former Minister for industries, environment, pollution control, food, civil supplies and cooperatives.
Stating that he had been holding the post of Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly since May 16, 2016, the plaintiff said he had come up in life by stint of hard work and was held in high esteem by his friends, family members, relatives, well wishers and among right thinking sections of society. However, the respondents had damaged his reputation, he complained.
Referring to various news reports published in the two Tamil magazines, he said, those reports had made false claims of his son being involved in the Pollachi serial sexual assault issue and he having attempted to bail the youngster out from the case. “The respondents/defendants have no courtesy or respect for my age and they have no right to refer to me in a disrespectful manner,” he added.
