Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday moved the Principal Sessions Court with a criminal complaint against former deputy Chief Minister and DMK treasurer, M K Stalin for issuing a false statement on the prevalence of cholera in the city, and the printer, publisher and editor of the Times of India, Chennai, for it.
According to the complaint, filed through City Public Prosecutor M L Jagan, Stalin’s statement carried by Times of India in its issue dated August 2 stated that he could not understand how a Chief Minister could have a vacation when the whole city was suffering (from cholera). The statement was totally fallacious, defamatory and without any basis.
The Chief Minister was in Kodanad for a certain period of time. However, all official and constitutional duties were continouously discharged by her, irrespective of her place of stay.
In fact, Jayalalithaa was discharging her duties even on Sundays, which would clearly indicate that she was performing the Constitutional functions and running the government in an effective and efficient manner.
Without any verification or inquiry, the publication of such a defamatory and bald statement was defamatory and per se derogatory, the CPP said and sought to punish the accused persons in Times of India — printer and publisher S Santhanagopal and editor Sunil Nair — for offences under sections 500 and 501 of the IPC, and Stalin under Section 500 of the IPC.