Madras HC quashes two cases against AIADMK leader CVe Shanmugam

Chennai ,Jan 24( IANS) The Madras High Court on Wednesday quashed two cases against CVe Shanmugam, the former Tamil Nadu Minister and a senior leader of the AIADMK.

Justice Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court quashed the two cases against him while refusing to quash two others filed by the state government against the AIADMK leader.

Senior counsel Vijay Narayanan appeared for the AlADMK leader and argued that the DMK government had filed false cases against his client for having exposed the mismanagement and malfunctioning of the state.

Shanmugam had in his prayer informed the court that he had brought to public domain the DMK government’s mismanagement and had pointed out and criticized the state government for allowing industries to work round the clock.

He said that he had also come out heavily against the free flow of ganja in the state as also sexual harassment of women, especially students . He said that he had spoken against these in a public programme organised by the AIADMK and that he believed that it was his duty as a leader from the opposition side.

The counsel for the former Minister argued that his client had not defamed the Chief Minister as a person but criticised the government under the Chief Minister on its misdemeanours.

However, the Advocate General P.S. Raman appeared before the court and stated that CVe Shanmugam had in fact directly defamed the Chief Minister. The A-G also produced a tape of the speech of the AIADMK leader.

Justice Anand Venkatesh heard the cases and allowed the plea of CVe Shanmugam and also quashed two cases while refusing to quash the other two.