Madras HC quashes defamation complaint against TN speaker

Justice G Jayachandran ruled in favour of Appavu, the petitioner who had sought to quash the defamation complaint.

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday, October 25 quashed a defamation complaint pending against Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Appavu in a special court here, citing want of locus standi by the respondent, AIADMK’s RM Babu Murugavel.

Justice G Jayachandran ruled in favour of Appavu, the petitioner who had sought to quash the defamation complaint.

“The complaint of the respondent stands quashed for want of locus standi. Consequently, connected Miscellaneous Petitions are closed,” the court ruled.

Babu Murugavel is the Joint Secretary, State Legal Wing of the AIADMK and also its official spokesperson.

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In his complaint, Murugavel alleged that the petitioner at a book release function here in November last year had defamed the AIADMK by claiming 40 MLAs belonging to the party were ready to switch over to the DMK after the demise of its late leader J Jayalalithaa in December 2016.

Appavu said Babu Murugavel has therefore claimed the petitioner has committed an offence under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 of the IPC by this speech.

Quashing the complaint, the court said that in the instant case, the alleged imputation of Appavu directed against 40 MLAs of AIADMK party during the year 2017, will not cover the complainant even remotely.

“If he claims that he carries the sword for his newly embraced party, he must have expressed authorisation to represent his party. Whereas, the complaint is in his capacity and not in the representative capacity,” the judge added.