Aadhav slaps defamation notice on DMK, Stalin

CHENNAI: State PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna has issued a legal notice to DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin and the party's IT wing, accusing them of publishing and circulating defamatory allegations linking him to a Directorate of Enforcement (ED) probe into an alleged narcotics trafficking network.

The notice, sent through advocate R Mohan Parthasarathy, objected to a June 8 social media post by the DMK IT wing, which claimed that one John Britto, allegedly connected to a drug trafficking case involving seizures worth Rs 258 crore, was a 'close relative' of the minister.

Calling the allegation false, fabricated and malicious, the notice asserted that the individual named in the Enforcement Directorate proceedings had no connection with Aadhav Arjuna. It further stated that another person, P John Britto, who is related to the minister, had already lodged a complaint with the Chennai Police, clarifying that he was not the person referred to in the central agency's case.

"The publication was a calculated attempt to tarnish my client's reputation through guilt by association," the notice said, alleging that the post was published without verification and with political intent.

According to the notice, the post garnered over 2.6 lakh views within two days before it was deleted from the platform. Despite its removal, the notice alleged that no clarification or apology had been issued by the DMK leadership or its IT wing.

The minister has sought an unconditional public apology in Tamil and English across social media platforms and mainstream media outlets. He has also demanded Rs 1 crore as damages for reputational harm and warned that civil and criminal proceedings would be initiated if the demands were not met within 48 hours.