HC stays defamation case against Stalin

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday stayed a defamation case pending against the leader of the opposition and the DMK treasurer MK Stalin. The case is pending before the principal district sessions court, Dindigul, since 2013. The court also directed the government side to file a counter to Stalin's plea to quash the defamation case.
The HC bench had earlier granted him exemption from appearing before the sessions court.
Dindigul's government pleader Arockiasamy had filed the defamation case against Stalin in October 2013 stating that he had made derogatory remarks against chief minister J Jayalalithaa. According to the prosecution, Stalin attended a DMK party meeting at R M Colony in Dindigul on June 6, 2013. He delivered a speech criticising the stand taken by the Tamil Nadu government headed by Jayalalithaa on the Sethusamudram project and the welfare measures carried out by her. He criticised the government for allegedly registering false cases against DMK members.
Seeking to quash the case, the leader of opposition moved HC.
When his petition came up for hearing before justice K Kalyanasundaram on Thursday, Stalin's side said his speech was not constituting an offence punishable under Section 500 (defamation) of the IPC. As an MLA, he fairly criticised the government's stand on various issues, which amounted to fair criticism and not defamation. "The government wants to curb free speech. Hence all further proceedings pending against him before the Dindigul court should be stayed and quashed," the counsel said.