The Madras High Court on Monday granted the DMK permission to file a defamation suit seeking Rs 1 crore in damages against two Tamil Nadu ministers and the ruling TVK's information technology wing, escalating a bitter political fight over the POCSO case involving granite baron R. Veeramani.
Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi allowed an application moved by DMK general secretary Duraimurugan, seeking the court's leave because the TVK IT wing's office and the headquarters of social media companies named in the case fall outside the High Court's territorial jurisdiction. The DMK alleges that ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, along with the party's IT wing, accused the DMK of shielding Veeramani — detained in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act involving alleged sexual abuse of minor girls — during the party's previous term in government.
What the court decided
The DMK's plaint says the FIR in the Veeramani case was registered promptly on October 7, 2025, a day after a complaint was received, and contends the police acted without any interference from the then-ruling party. It describes the TVK leaders' statements as false and baseless, made to extract political mileage ahead of by-elections, and also seeks an injunction against further such statements and the removal of the allegedly defamatory posts from social media.
The ministers opposed the grant of leave, arguing that the two-month notice under Section 80 of the Civil Procedure Code, required before suing a public officer, had not been issued. Senior counsel J. Ravindran, appearing for the DMK, argued the notice was unnecessary because the party was challenging the ministers' statements, not acts done in their official capacity. The judge held that the scope of a leave application is limited to whether the plaint discloses a substantial cause of action within the court's jurisdiction — and left the IT wing's objection that it lacks independent legal personality open for the trial itself. (The Times of India reports the damages claimed as Rs 1.01 crore.)
Sources:
Madras High Court permits DMK to file Rs 1-crore defamation suit against Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Nirmal Kumar — The Hindu
DMK can sue TVK ministers over Veeramani remarks, says Madras High court — DT Next
Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi allowed an application moved by DMK general secretary Duraimurugan, seeking the court's leave because the TVK IT wing's office and the headquarters of social media companies named in the case fall outside the High Court's territorial jurisdiction. The DMK alleges that ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, along with the party's IT wing, accused the DMK of shielding Veeramani — detained in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act involving alleged sexual abuse of minor girls — during the party's previous term in government.
What the court decided
The DMK's plaint says the FIR in the Veeramani case was registered promptly on October 7, 2025, a day after a complaint was received, and contends the police acted without any interference from the then-ruling party. It describes the TVK leaders' statements as false and baseless, made to extract political mileage ahead of by-elections, and also seeks an injunction against further such statements and the removal of the allegedly defamatory posts from social media.
The ministers opposed the grant of leave, arguing that the two-month notice under Section 80 of the Civil Procedure Code, required before suing a public officer, had not been issued. Senior counsel J. Ravindran, appearing for the DMK, argued the notice was unnecessary because the party was challenging the ministers' statements, not acts done in their official capacity. The judge held that the scope of a leave application is limited to whether the plaint discloses a substantial cause of action within the court's jurisdiction — and left the IT wing's objection that it lacks independent legal personality open for the trial itself. (The Times of India reports the damages claimed as Rs 1.01 crore.)
Sources:
Madras High Court permits DMK to file Rs 1-crore defamation suit against Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Nirmal Kumar — The Hindu
DMK can sue TVK ministers over Veeramani remarks, says Madras High court — DT Next
