Veeramani case: DMK files ₹1-crore defamation suit against Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Nirmal Kumar before Madras High Court

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), represented by its general secretary Duraimurugan, has filed a ₹1-crore defamation suit against Ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Information Technology wing for reportedly accusing the plaintiff party of shielding POCSO Act case accused R. Veeramani of Gem Granites during the DMK rule.

Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi heard on Friday (September 25, 2026) an application filed by the plaintiff party seeking the leave of the court to also file the suit against X Corp, Meta Platforms, and YouTube, since a plea had been made to take down the false and defamatory posts, but those multinational corporations were located outside the jurisdiction of the High Court.

The judge heard preliminary arguments advanced by senior counsel Vijay Narayan for the two Ministers and senior counsel J. Ravindran for the DMK and adjourned the hearing to Monday (September 28, 2026) for the filing of counter affidavits. The judge orally instructed the parties not to politicise the issue since such statements could dilute the investigation and may pave the way for the accused to escape from the clutches of law.

“It is about the lives of minor girl children. The issue is very sensitive and all of us have a social responsibility,” the judge remarked. In its plaint, the DMK said that the First Information Report (FIR) in the POCSO case was promptly registered during its rule on October 7, 2025, just a day after a child rights activist had handed over a video clipping of the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl child to the police.

‘No connection to accused’

Thereafter, the investigation proceeded in accordance with the law on the basis of the available evidence. Making it clear that the DMK, the then ruling party, had not interfered with the investigation in any manner whatsoever, the court was told that the party had no connection or connivance either with the named accused or anyone else connected with the alleged offence.

Referring to its deputy general secretary Kanimozhi Rajathi Karunanidhi’s September 22, 2026, tweet, the plaintiff party said it had consistently demanded that such heinous offenders in sexual offence cases must be prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law. However, the two TVK Ministers had been consistently levelling baseless charges against the DMK during their media interactions, it complained.

The DMK alleged that the Ministers were making such false statements to gain mileage during the Madurantakam and Dharapuram byelections. It said that the TVK’s IT wing too was involved in the publication, reposting, and circulation of the defamatory statements and materials through its social media handles. Such statements had reached a large number of people and caused injury to the reputation, goodwill, and public standing of the DMK, it added.