Madras HC dismisses defamation complaint against Rajini
TNN Bureau. Updated: 12/18/2018 7:39:32 PM
National
Chennai, Dec 18 (UNI) The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a defamation complaint filed against film actor Rajinikanth by film financier S Mukunchand Bothra.
Passing orders on a plea filed by the actor, Mr Justice Anand Venkatesan dismissed it.
The defamation complaint filed by Bothra was in connection to a civil suit where the financier claimed that he had given money to Rajini’s daughter Aishwarya's father-in-law Kasturi Raja. Claiming that Kasturi Raja had borrowed Rs 40 lakh from him during January 2012 and another Rs 25 lakh later, Bothra filed a suit for recovery of the money and submitted that Raja had given an undertaking that Rajinikanth would clear the dues if he failed to repay the loan.
Rajinikanth had filed a petition claiming that Bothra's suit had been filed with an intention to extort money from him.
In reply, Bothra filed a criminal defamation case against Rajinikanth in George Town Court claiming that the actor's remark brought him disrepute.
Subsequently, Rajinikanth sought the dismissal of criminal defamation charges against him in the High Court and Bothra also countered it with a revision petition.
In response, Rajinikanth had filed a counter-affidavit stating that Bothra's revision petition was legally unsustainable as his statements, which were alleged to be defamatory, were made during a pleading in civil court.
The Judge held that statements made during or in a pleading in a civil suit could not be termed as defamatory unless it was struck off by the civil court and dismissed the defamation proceedings and the case against Rajinikanth.