Chennai: Madras high court on Tuesday directed Tamil magazine ‘Junior Vikatan‘ to pay 25 lakh as damages to DMK MP and former union minister T R Baalu for having published false and vexatious articles against him in 2012 in connection with the Sethusamudram project.
Justice A A Nakkiran passed the order on a suit moved by Baalu against the magazine. “Having considered the facts and circumstances of the case and reliance of the various judgments, it is proved that the news items that appeared in Junior Vikatan on Dec 22, 2013, are malicious and defamatory and thereby lowered the character and reputation of the plaintiff,” the court said. In enjoying the freedom of press they (Junior Vikatan) have all the liberty to publish news with solid proof, but they should not tarnish the image and reputation of a person without verifying the veracity of the news and confirming the same, the judge added.
“Being a renowned magazine and having wide circulation, they should take much more caution before publishing news items and they cannot take the privilege to tarnish the image and reputation of the plaintiff amongst the minds of the public while the plaintiff held various posts,” the court said. However, the plaintiff cannot seek permanent injunction for future publications about the subject matter in the present suit, the court added.
According to Baalu, the magazine had published in its March 28, 2012, edition a question-and-answer type news item about the Sethusamudram project, which allegedly contained several mischievous and derogatory allegations against him. Baalu issued a legal notice to the magazine seeking unconditional apology. However, it replied to the notice justifying the stand taken by the publication.
Once again in Dec 2013, the magazine published another news item against Baalu. Aggrieved, Baalu moved the present suit alleging that the magazine was publishing baseless news articles against him to hamper his prospects in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.