Chennai: The Chennai City public prosecutor on Thursday filed a defamation petition at the principal District and Sessions Court against suspended DMK leader Shivaji Krishnamoorthy for an alleged derogatory speech against Governor R.N. Ravi.
Public Prosecutor, G. Devarajan in a statement said: “Governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N. Ravi is the aggrieved person and the complainant is the public prosecutor, Chennai presenting this complaint on behalf of the Governor, before this court.”
The Raj Bhavan had asked the city police to take action after a video surfaced of Krishnamoorty using extremely abusive, derogatory, and defamatory language against the Governor.
Deputy Secretary to the Governor, Prasanna Ramaswamy in a complaint to the Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner, said that the speaker was also seen using intimidation tactics against the Governor. The complainant said that the video had gone viral on various social media platforms and wanted the police to take proper action against the individual who was seen in the video speaking against the Governor.
The Chennai City police, on scrutinising the video. said the speech was defamatory and hence falls under the ambit of Sections 499 (Defamation) and 500 (Punishment for defamation ) under the Indian Penal Code.
In the complaint before the sessions court, Devarajan submitted that the state government has accorded sanction to him in a government order dated January 15 to file this complaint. He also said that the speech was circulated on various social media platforms with the intention to harm the reputation of the Governor and that this was not in good faith.
The complainant also asked the court to take cognisance of the complaint and punish the accused for defamation.
The DMK had, on January 14, suspended the accused from its primary membership for violating party discipline.
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