SC closes defamation proceedings against Union minister Murugan

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and KV Viswanathan closed the matter after Murugan maintained he had no intention to cause any “harm or injury” to the DMK-run trust

The Supreme Court on Thursday closed defamation proceedings against Union minister L Murugan over his 2020 comments suggesting that the Murasoli Trust affiliated with Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) operated from premises built on unauthorised land.

Union minister L Murugan. (X)

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and KV Viswanathan closed the matter after Murugan maintained he had no intention to cause any “harm or injury” to the trust or its members. He said the comments were made in his capacity as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in Opposition in Tamil Nadu.

The trust, which runs a newspaper and a news channel and has Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin among its managing trustees, accepted Murugan’s clarification. The bench accordingly acknowledged the trust’s graciousness and quashed the criminal proceedings.

Murugan approached the Supreme Court after the Madras high court rejected his plea to quash the case in September 2023. A prominent Dalit leader and former BJP state president, he made the alleged defamatory statement at a press conference in 2020.

Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, appearing for Murugan, said his client received complaints that the building of the Murasoli Trust in Kodambakkam was on land historically reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) in the state when he was the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes vice-chairman.

Parmeshwar said Murugan made the statement about the trust after his tenure with the commission was over and in his capacity as a BJP leader. He added Murugan never intended to cause “any harm or injury” to the reputation of the “highly reputed” trust and his statement was made in his capacity as an Opposition leader.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court advised the trust to take instructions on Murugan’s clarification. “When you enter politics, you should be ready to hear anything about yourself. You cannot be hypersensitive...Politicians should fight their battles in public.”

Senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and NR Elango, appearing for the trust, said they were willing to accept the clarification and do not wish to continue with the proceedings. Luthra insisted that the petitioner publish the clarification in newspapers and be more gracious. The bench told Luthra, “You can publish it in your newspaper on [the] front page and even run breaking news as a scroll in your channel.”

DMK leader RS Bharathi initiated the defamation proceeding in 2021, alleging Murugan attempted to create an impression that the trust was being run on unauthorised land. He said the trust has been functioning from the same address for over 35 years and no question has ever been raised about the the property title.

The Madras high court refused to rule in Murugan’s favour, saying statements in defamation cases must be tested through the lens of a common man who comes across them. “Even if the petitioner [Murugan] believes there was no imputation, his comments may be interpreted as repeatedly questioning the right and title of the property over which the trust operates.”

Murugan maintained he enjoyed protection under the Constitution’s Article 19(1)(a) related to freedom of speech and expression. The high court said a detailed examination of facts during the trial was necessary to examine the allegation while directing a special court hearing the case to expedite the proceedings.