On behalf of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the City Public Prosecutor on Thursday filed a criminal complaint seeking punishment for persons manning the editorial section of the India Today Tamil news weekly for publishing a news in its issue dated August 8 this year, which was false and per se defamatory.
The complaint, filed before the principal sessions judge in the City Civil Court, stated that the magazine carried a news item on the cover page and on pages 14, 15 and 17, making allegations against the CM, which were false, malicious and derogatory.
The news item claimed that the CM dropped a minister from her Cabinet due to the influence and pressure of another person, thus insinuating that she was unable to take decisions on her own. This was indicative of the malicious and deliberate intention of the accused, the complaint contended.
The decision was the sole prerogative of the CM and no person should question this constitutional prerogative. The accused published the news with the sole intention of defaming the goodwill, reputation and independent image of the CM, it added and sought punishment for India Today editorial director M J Akbar and eight others.
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