MHC quashes two cases against C Ve Shanmugam booked by the State

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) quashed two cases filed against Rajya Sabha member and former minister of AIADMK, C Ve Shanmugam, by the State government but refused to quash two other cases.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh pronounced the final order in a petition filed by Shanmugam seeking to quash four cases filed against him by the DMK government.

According to the former minister, the State registered cases against him without applying of mind, for criticising the government's mismanagement.

Shanmugam criticised the decision of the State to allow the industry and factory to function round the clock, free flow of ganja in the State, and sexual harassment against women especially students in the State has increased, in a meeting organized by AIADMK.

The State government lodged four cases against the former minister alleging defamed the Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Senior counsel Vijay Narayan appeared for the former minister submitted that it is his client’s duty as a leader in the opposition party to expose the mismanagement and malfunction of the State. The petitioner has not defamed the CM as a person but criticized the State led by him. The State should have tolerance and should not be impulsive as an individual.

Advocate General PS Raman appeared for the State, submitted the speech of the petitioner, and contended that he directly defamed the CM.

After all the submission the judge reserved the orders without mentioning any date.

The matter was listed on Wednesday for orders and the judge allowed two petitions of the former minister and refused other two petitions.