CHENNAI: The Madras HC has refused to order former minister and AIADMK senior leader SP Velumani to pay damages to a DMK functionary of Coimbatore district for alleged defamation. However, the court restrained him permanently from talking of a particular incident involving the DMK functionary.
The defamation suit was filed in 2021 by A Rajendran, who was then holding the post of Sulur panchayat union chairman. He sought the court to order Velumani, then minister for municipal administration, to pay him damages of Rs 1,00,01,000 for his speech at a public meeting in Pollachi on January 11, 2021.
He alleged Velumani had referred to an FIR against him by the railway police of Salem for harassing a woman passenger on a running train, despite knowing the FIR was quashed by the HC. He had also prayed for permanent injunction restraining Velumani or his men from making defamatory remarks against him.
Justice CV Karthikeyan, in his recent order, partly allowed the petition and restrained Velumani from speaking out the incident occurred on the train.
Refusing to order payment of damages, the judge reasoned that Velumani, in his speech, had not established either loss to reputation by examining any third party and failed to establish direct knowledge about the speech by examining his relatives or friends or the DMK district secretary who had told him of the matter. “All are hearsay evidence,” the judge held. The judge restrained Velumani permanently from talking about the incident occurred on the train.
Advocate S Doraisamy, assisted by V Elangovan, appeared for Velumani.