CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has restrained Tamil daily ‘Dinakaran’ from publishing any kind of article on the personal life of Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan without clear verification.
Justice KK Sasidharan granted the injunction on Friday while passing interim orders on an application arising out of a civil suit from Viswanathan, who prayed for a direction to the daily, by its chairman Kalanidhi Maran, editor, publisher and managing director RMR Ramesh and Kal Publications, to pay Rs 30 lakh towards damages.
The matter will be taken up on June 7.
According to plaintiff, Dinakaran carried a news item in its issue dated April 25 last, wherein the defendants have published a totally baseless, illegal and defamaory statement touching his personal life. The article sought to tarnish his image in private as well as public life and it also sought to depict him as a womaniser.
The news item alleged that he owned an island in Hong Kong and he had sexual relationship with a film actress. This news item, which was totally scandalous and defamatory, has been published at a crucial time when the State is going to Assembly polls with a view to demoralising him and showing him as a womaniser involved in immoral activities, Viswanathan contended and prayed for a direction to the defendants to pay Rs 30 lakh towards damages and to restrain them from publishing any defamatory or derogatory statement about him.