8 years on, defamation case filed in Nilgiris court against 8 actors quashed

Justice M V Muralidharan on referring to the aspect that the Madurai Bench had already set aside similar cases against the actors, quashed the same after holding that no useful purpose would be served by continuing the prosecution. Following the arrest of actress Bhuvaneswari for her alleged involvement in sex trade in 2009, Tamil daily Dinamalar carried an article naming actors allegedly involved in prostitution and reported the rates charged by them. Following this, at a protest meeting held by the actors ‘association in this regard, several actors slammed journalists for their insensitive reporting. Objecting to this, a freelance journalist M Rozario filed a defamation suit against the eight film personalities. However, when the matter came up in a court at Gudalaur, none of the actors appeared, resulting in the Magistrate issuing a non-bailable warrant against all of them. This had led to actors moving the Madras High Court, which stayed the proceedings and subsequently quashed it.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Chennai Corporation to consider declaring MRC Nagar in RA Puram as ‘No-Hawking Zone’ in accordance with law. 

The bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar on directing both the Corporation Commissioner and Police commissioner to remove unauthorised encroachments in the MRC Nagar, said “The Chennai Corporation may also consider the representation of the petitioner for declaration of the area in question as Non-Hawking Zone. Such decision shall be taken in accordance with law within two weeks from the date of communication of this order.” Raghu Raman, a resident of the area for the past 25 years, in his public interest litigation, had submitted that in the recent past a lot of encroachments had surfaced in and around MRC Nagar mainly at Janaki Avenue and Sathyan Avenue where the Ayyappan temple and schools are located. 

Pointing out that the encroachers had put up some permanent structures and were selling food, he said the food items were prepared on the roadside  and sold in an unhygienic manner. Also, alleging that his attempt to identify the encroachers had met with resistance so much so that that he was even unable to collect their names, he said the encroachments were causing hindrance. Moreover, the encroachments have become a haven for the people who consume alcohol and that his numerous representations to the authorities to remove them had failed to evoke any response, he added.