TN govt files defamation case against two daily newspapers

The Tamil Nadu Government has filed a defamation case against the national daily Times of India and the Tamil newspaper Dinamalar in the Sessions Court in Chennai. The state pleader in his affidavit, filed on behalf of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has said, the Times of India has published a false news item in its issue dated 9th of last month. It is mentioned in the petition that the news item attributes the city flood to mismanagement of water levels in the Chembarampakkam



reservoir by the government.

Similarly, Dinamalar in its issue dated 12th December has carried a news item blaming the government of changing the rain into a deluge situation due to its inaction. The Times of India editor Sunil Nair, publisher Santhana Gopal, Dinamalar editor Krishnamurthy and its publisher Lakshmipathy are mentioned in the petition as the respondents. The case is expected to come up before the Principal Sessions Court Judge Athinathan.