Tamil Nadu DMK Files: Chief Minister MK Stalin Files Criminal Defamation Case Against Annamalai

Chief Minister MK Stalin has filed a criminal defamation case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai today (10 May) for allegations made while presenting the DMK Files.

The case was filed on behalf of the Chief Minister by G Devarajan, who is the City Public Prosecutor.

After presenting the DMK Files, in which he alleged that the top leadership of the party had accumulated huge wealth through corrupt means and not declared all of it in their election affidavits, Annamalai had said that Chief Minister Stalin is the beneficiary of a Rs 200 crore bribe from Alstom, a French company which participated in the tender process for the Phase I of the Chennai Metro.

The petition to the court by Chief Minister Stalin says that the statements were made with an intention to harm the reputation of the Chief Minister, in respect of his conduct in the discharge of his public function and that they were made for the personal political gain of Annamalai.

Devarajan urged the court to take action against Annamalai under Section 500 (punishment for criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 199(2) (prosecution for defamation) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Earlier, DMK Organising Secretary RS Bharathi, Udhayanidhi Stalin, senior MP TR Baalu and Kanimozhi had sought damages of Rs 500 crore, Rs 50 crore, Rs 100 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Bharathi's notice was on behalf of the party and the Chief Minister. In response, Annamalai had sought Rs 500 crore and Re 1 from Bharathi for associating him with the Arudhra chit fund scam.

While Baalu had earlier stated that he would file a defamation case in the Saidapet court on 8 May, he is yet to file it.

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