Frivolous allegations against newly inducted ministers in Tamil Nadu will affect their performance: Madras High Court
Minister Ramesh. File | Photo credit: B. Thamodharan
Reckless allegations leveled on social media against newly inducted ministers in the Tamil Nadu government would cause unnecessary anxiety in the minds of these individuals and ultimately impair the performance of their official duties, the Madras High Court said.
Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy made the observation while ordering DMK sympathizer Vinoth Suriya Kumar to file an affidavit expressing regret over his false post X, which claimed that the Palani Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple land was registered in the name of a relative of Hindu Religious Endowments and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh.
The affidavit must clearly state that the message was published without fact-checking and that the content creator must verify prima facie the existence/source of the facts before sharing any content on their social media, the court ordered.
The judge further made it clear that this order does not prevent the Minister from initiating appropriate civil and criminal defamation proceedings against the person concerned if he so chooses. He noted that Mr. Kumar’s counsel had admitted before the High Court that his client had leveled allegations against the minister without verifying the facts and that the petitioner would file an affidavit to apologise.
“Regarding the comment that it is a minister and that the land was registered in the name of his relatives, it is certainly incorrect and on the face of it appears to be false information. When this court specifically questioned the learned counsel for the petitioner, no reasoning was given to suggest the involvement of the minister or his relatives. On the other hand, it is admitted that the contribution was erroneous and made without the judge verifying the facts.
He also said that the attempts to register the Palani Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple land in the names of certain private individuals took place before the 2026 assembly elections when Mr. Ramesh of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) was not in the picture at all.
“Only because the incident was reported after he assumed office, the petitioner, who is a member of a political party, made the above-mentioned contributions. Such political criticism or campaigning cannot normally be interfered with, as it would fall within the framework of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. However, in the present case, the said contributions, prima facie, will appear to contain charges against the minister concerned for the offense of defamation in accordance with the law,” the judge observed.
However, he canceled the first information report (FIR) registered against the content creator based on the complaint of the minister’s personal assistant. The judge said the FIR was not maintainable as the statutory provisions invoked by the Chennai Cyber Police would not attract at all.
Justice Chakravarthy said that sections 192 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita could be invoked only if the dissemination of false information was done with the intention of creating a disturbance or creating fear or alarm among the people at large. “Even as per the complaint, the petitioner’s intention is only political and aimed at spreading false and obscene information against the minister,” Justice Chakravarthy concluded.
Published – 29 Aug 2026 11:04 IST