Madras High Court Allows DMK to File Rs 1.01 Crore Defamation Case Against TVK

Case follows Vijay's claim that DMK "buried" the Veeramani POCSO case during its earlier government

October 5, 2026

DMK takes TVK to court over Veeramani POCSO allegations — here's what happened

Rs 1.01 Crore at Stake: DMK vs TVK’s Legal Battle

The Madras High Court on Monday granted the DMK permission to initiate defamation proceedings worth Rs 1.01 crore against two Tamil Nadu ministers and the IT wing of the ruling TVK, over remarks that linked the DMK to a POCSO case involving granite businessman R. Veeramani of Gem Granites.

Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi allowed a plea filed by DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan seeking the court’s leave to sue Tamil Nadu Ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, along with the TVK’s IT wing, overruling objections raised by the defendants regarding the maintainability of the case.

Background to the dispute

The case stems from an ongoing political exchange between TVK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and DMK president M.K. Stalin over the handling of the sexual abuse case involving Veeramani. During a campaign speech ahead of the October 6 bypoll in Madurantakam, Vijay alleged that the DMK had “buried” the case during its earlier tenure in power and suggested there had been an understanding between the DMK and AIADMK over the matter. He called on Stalin to speak publicly on the issue and described the DMK as an “evil force,” contrasting it with what he termed TVK’s position as a “pure force.”

Stalin responded on social media, accusing Vijay of “political hypocrisy” and arguing that he had already addressed his position on the Veeramani matter in detail on the floor of the Assembly. He rejected Vijay’s demand for a fresh explanation and separately criticised the TVK government‘s record on power outages, inflation, milk shortages and law and order. The DMK has rejected allegations that its previous government shielded Veeramani, calling such claims false and defamatory.

What happens next

With the Madras High Court’s permission now granted, the DMK can proceed with filing the formal defamation suit against the named ministers and the TVK’s IT wing. The case adds a legal dimension to a political dispute that has played out largely through campaign speeches and social media exchanges between the two parties ahead of the Madurantakam bypoll.

The ministers and the TVK IT wing had opposed the plea on grounds of maintainability, which the court rejected in permitting the case to proceed. Formal responses from the defendants to the substantive allegations in the suit are expected as the case moves forward.

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