Madras High Court quashes defamation cases against DMK, Cong leaders

When the matter came before Justice M Nirmal Kumar, State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah submitted that the government was withdrawing the defamation suits. The court allowed it and quashed the cases.

The case against Kanimozhi was filed in 2018 after the DMK women’s wing secretary alleged that Palaniswami was making money even in the projects for removing garbage. She made the remark while addressing a protest in Tindivanam.

After the then public prosecutor moved the suit on behalf of the former CM, Kanimozhi challenged the case before the HC arguing that filing criminal defamation suits against opposition leaders was against the right to freedom of speech and expression. “The role of the opposition is that of a watchdog in a democracy. How could criminal defamation cases be filed against opposition leaders merely for serving their duty as elected representatives,” her advocate senior counsel P Wilson argued.

The judge also quashed other defamation cases filed by the AIADMK government against ex-union ministers Dayanidhi Maran and EVKS Elangovan.