Criminal defamation proceedings against Rajinikanth quashed by Madras HC

The Madras High Court on Tuesday quashed criminal defamation proceedings initiated against actor Rajinikanth by a film financier in a lower court. The court earlier dismissed a civil suit filed by the financier against Rajinikanth with a cost of Rs 25,000, saying it was nothing but an abuse of the process of law to gain cheap publicity and keep a famous person on tenterhooks.

Financier Mukuchand Bothra had alleged that Kasturi Raja, the father-in-law of Rajinikanth's daughter, had borrowed Rs 65 lakh from him with an assurance that if the money was not repaid by him, the actor would repay it. Bothra had filed the criminal defamation complaint in a magistrate court, saying the words used by Rajinikanth that the civil suit was only to extort money and malign his name was per se defamatory. The actor sought quashing of the criminal defamation proceedings.

When the plea came up, Justice Anand Venkatesh said a reading of the entire affidavit filed in application for rejection of the civil suit would show that the petitioner wanted to establish the fact that the entire suit was intended to malign and defame him who had no dealings whatsoever with the financier at any time.

"This court is of the considered view that the averment made in the affidavit by the petitioner is not per se defamatory, and the same was made as a necessary averment in order to project the conduct and character of the respondent," the judge said.

The court quashed the proceedings on the file of the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, George Town here.