CHENNAI: AIADMK approached the Madras High Court (MHC) challenging the Fact Checking Unit (FCU) constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to deal with misinformation and disinformation pertaining to the State government emanating from all media platforms.

R Nirmal Kumar, joint secretary of the information technology wing of AIADMK moved the MHC contending that the government had no authority to constitute FCU outside the framework of the police department.

The petition stated that the court had already directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to create a special cell to monitor the derogatory and unsubstantiated allegations in social media against the constitutional functionaries and other dignitaries. The direction was issued after a resident from Coimbatore posted defamatory allegations against a sitting judge of the MHC.

The petitioner also contended that the State has appointed a DMK supporter Iyan Karthikeyan as the mission director of FCU.

Further, the petitioner sought the court to declare the government order constituting FCU as unconstitutional and restrain Iyan Karthikeyan from continuing as mission director of FCU.