The district court here has issued notices to DMK president MK Stalin and ex-TNCC president EVKS Elangovan in defamation cases for their comments against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on the Kollidam regulator collapse at Mukkombu last year.
Thiruchirapalli:
The Mukkombu Kollidam regulator collapsed in the month of August in 2018 owing to the heavy inflow of water in the Cauvery and the Chief Minister who inspected the collapsed regulator ordered for a new regulator near the damaged one and also instructed the officials to plug the water and make temporary arrangement. Subsequently, the leaders from various political parties too visited the spot and appealed to the government for a permanent solution at the earliest.
Among the leaders, DMK president Stalin, who visited the collapsed regulator on September 3, 2018, charged that the state had not initiated precaution prior to the heavy inflow of water and so the regulator collapsed. This has created ripples among the AIADMK cadre and the Public Prosecutor Sampath Kumar filed a petition with the Principal District Court on October 2, 2018, seeking action against Stalin who had made defamatory comments against the Chief Minister.
On January 11, the case came up for hearing in the court and the Principal District Judge Kumaraguru asked Stalin to appear before the Court on February 13.
Similarly, ex-TNCC Chief EVKS Elangovan who met the reporters on August 26, 2018, at Samayapuram raised doubt that the Chief Minister, wanting to get commission over the new construction had damaged the regulator. Subsequently, a case was filed against Elagovan for his defamatory comments against the Chief Minister in the same court and the judge, who heard the case, asked Elangovan to appear before the court on February 12.