Ministers CTR Nirmal Kumar, Aadhav Arjuna move HC against defamation suit over Veeramani remarks

CHENNAI: Ministers CTR Nirmal Kumar and Aadhav Arjuna have filed appeals against a single judge’s order granting leave to DMK to sue them for making defamatory statements against the party regarding the sexual assault case against R Veeramani.

The leave was granted on Monday by Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi by allowing the defamation suit filed by DMK general secretary Durai Murugan seeking Rs 1.01 crore in damages and restraining both the ministers and TVK’s IT wing from making defamatory statements that DMK had protected the perpetrators.

The matter came up for urgent hearing before the division bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and GK Muthukumaar on Tuesday. Advocate General Vijay Narayan, representing the ministers, and senior counsel J Ravindran, appearing for DMK, made brief submissions. The bench adjourned the hearing to October 13.

Nirmal Kumar stated that the judge had failed to appreciate the specifically raised objections regarding the maintainability of the suit itself including the applicability of Section 80 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), non-service of statutory notice, absence of urgency, causes of action and the legal status of the TVK’s IT wing.

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