Madras High Court restrains Udhayanidhi Stalin from making derogatory statements against EPS
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court restrained Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare, Udhayanidhi Stalin from making derogatory statements against former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Justice RN Manjula, on Thursday, passed the interim injunction against the DMK scion on a defamation suit filed by EPS seeking damages and restraining him from making statements that denigrated his image.
“The plaintiff has made out a prima facie case,” the judge said while granting the injunction for two weeks and ordered notice to Udhayanidhi Stalin to file reply to the suit by then.
Holding that the balance of convenience is in favour of EPS, the judge said if the defendant (Udhayanidhi Stalin) is allowed make such statements it would affect the former’s image. “If Udhayanidhi Stalin is allowed to make such statements it would cause irreparable damage to EPS, so I feel an order for interim injunction is to be granted,” the judge said in the order.
EPS moved the Madras High Court with the defamation suit seeking damages of Rs. 1.10 crore for denigrating his image and bringing disrepute by airing remarks linking him with the Kodanad murder-cum-heist and sought an interim injunction.
Udhayanidhi, who was caught in a controversy over his comments on Sanatan Dharma, on September 7 remarked that “EPS can’t hide behind the beard of the goat for long hoping” to escape from the Kodanad case and the corruption cases. What will happen to him if the goat disappears one day? He also stated that EPS was searching for the meaning of Sanatan Dharma on the bookshelves at his house.
Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing EPS, said the ‘reckless statements’ posted on the social media, X (formerly Twitter) implied and openly suggested the former CM was directly involved in the Kodanadu heist-cum-murder and as if corruption cases were filed against him. “In fact, he was not even once interrogated by the Police in the last five years when he was the Chief Minister or in the Opposition,” he noted.
Referring to the statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin that EPS cannot hide behind the goat for long, the senior counsel said the minister was making an indirect reference to the Governor because late leader Arignar Anna (CN Annadurai) had equated the state Governors to the beard of goats.
"In an election year, he should not have made such statements; and if he wants, he can make the State machinery hold an investigation and find out the truth," Vijay Narayan further stated.