KOCHI: The Ernakulam Special Court for MPs and MLAs on Thursday dismissed the criminal defamation complaint filed by Congress leader and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran against CPM state secretary M V Govindan.
The case was dismissed after Sudhakaran repeatedly failed to appear before the court. During the hearing, Sudhakaran's counsel informed that he had travelled to Kochi to appear before the court on Thursday but could not reach in time when the matter was taken up. However, the court declined to accept the explanation and proceeded to dismiss the complaint.
Sudhakaran had approached the court in July 2023 alleging that Govindan had made defamatory statements linking him to allegations that surfaced during investigations involving controversial businessman Monson Mavunkal. According to the complaint, the remarks had harmed his reputation and lowered his standing in public life.
The dispute stemmed from a political controversy that erupted in June 2023 after Govindan referred to reports claiming that Sudhakaran's name had surfaced during an investigation related to a POCSO case connected to Monson. Govindan had publicly stated that investigators were examining various aspects of the case and that Sudhakaran's role would come under scrutiny.
Sudhakaran strongly denied the allegations and accused the CPM leader of making baseless statements for political reasons. Maintaining that he had no connection with the allegations being referred to, he contended that the remarks were intended to tarnish his image and subsequently initiated criminal defamation proceedings.
The controversy unfolded amid a sharp political confrontation between the Congress and the CPM in Kerala. While the Congress alleged that the accusations were politically motivated, the CPM maintained that Govindan had only referred to information already available in the public domain.
With the special court dismissing the case, Sudhakaran may move to the High Court in the coming days.
