Madras High Court Rules in Favor of Actor Sukanya in 30-Year-Old Defamation Case
Veerappan’s claim: Actor Sukanya wins defamation case after 30 years
Image: The Hindu
After nearly 30 years, the Madras High Court has ordered Sun TV Network to pay ₹10 lakh to actor R. Sukanya for failing to edit defamatory remarks made by forest brigand Veerappan during a 1996 interview. The court found malice in the network's actions.
- 01The Madras High Court ruled that Sun TV Network must pay ₹10 lakh in damages to R. Sukanya.
- 02The case stems from a 1996 interview with Veerappan aired by Sun TV, which included unverified allegations against Sukanya.
- 03Justice K. Kumaresh Babu confirmed that the network did not take necessary steps to verify the interview's content before airing it.
- 04Sukanya initially filed her civil suit in 1996, seeking damages for defamation from the network and the journalist involved.
- 05The court noted that the network expressed regret in a Tamil magazine but not on its own channel, indicating malice.
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The Madras High Court has ruled in favor of actor R. Sukanya, ordering Sun TV Network to pay ₹10 lakh in damages for airing defamatory comments made by forest brigand Veerappan during a 1996 interview. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu upheld a previous civil court ruling, stating that the television network acted with malice by failing to verify the allegations before broadcasting the interview. Sukanya, who starred alongside Kamal Haasan in the 1996 film 'Indian', had filed her initial lawsuit in the same year, seeking damages from the network, journalist Nakheeran R. Gopal, and Veerappan. The court found that the network had not exercised its right to edit the interview content responsibly and highlighted that its subsequent expression of regret appeared insincere, as it was not made on the channel that aired the interview. This ruling reinforces the importance of media accountability in broadcasting potentially damaging content without proper verification.
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This ruling emphasizes the responsibility of media outlets to verify content before broadcasting, potentially affecting how news is reported in the future.
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