Defamation cases: Court issues summons to Karunanidhi, Stalin

CHENNAI: A local court today ordered issue of summons to DMK chief M Karunanidhi, his son and party treasurer M K Stalin besides publishers and editors of two English dailies in various defamation cases filed by the Jayalalithaa government.

Principal Sessions Judge P Kalayarasan ordered issue of summons to Karunanidhi and S Selvam, printer, publisher and editor of 'Murasoli', the DMK mouthpiece, to appear before the court on October 10 in connection with an article, which criticised Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's recent stay in Kodanad estate.

The court also ordered issue of summons to Stalin along with a printer and publisher of a daily and its editor to appear before it on October 10 in connection with an article on Jayalalithaa's stay at Kodanad.

It also ordered issue of summons to Stalin and Selvam on the same day in another case in connection with the former's criticism on the government filing defamation cases against newspapers.

On another complaint, it ordered DMDK founder Vijayakant and a printer and publisher of another daily and its editor to appear before it on October 15 in connection with an article with the DMDK leader's criticism of the chief minister.

It also summoned PMK founder S Ramadoss and printer and publisher and reporter of a vernacular magazine to appear before it in connection with an interview published in it, before October 9.