Lawyers complain about M Karunanidhi to Chief Justice

Chennai: A group of AIADMK lawyers has complained to the Chief Justice of the Madras  high court to take criminal action as well as contempt of court proceedings against  DMK president M. Karunanidhi and other political leaders for allegedly making defamatory statements and allegations against the judge of the Karnataka high court, who acquitted  AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa and three others in the disproportionate wealth case.

In their complaint, addressed to Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and sent through the registrar general of the Madras high court by e-mail and fax, advocates S. Diwakar, C. Thirumaran and P.V. Selvakumar said it was well known that only due to political instigation false cases were filed against ‘Hon’ble Amma’ for mileage. Fourteen cases were filed against her, including the present case, in which the Karnataka high court acquitted her.

The Karnataka high court while allowing her appeal, had categorically stated that the cases were filed against the appellant for political reasons and this kind of filing false cases to wreak political vengeance should be curbed, the complaint said. They said immediately after the pronouncement of the order,  DMK chief Karunanidhi, his son and DMK treasurer M. K. Stalin, PMK founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss, CPI(M) leader G. Ramakrishnan and Dr Subramanian Swamy under the guise of giving statements in respect of the said judgment, have made derogatory statements against the judiciary and in more particular they have leveled direct accusation and allegation against the judge, who rendered the judgment. The said statements have been reported in various newspapers and telecast by TV channels.

“On a perusal of the said statements, it is clearly seen that the said statements which are made intentionally, are not only defaming the judiciary and the judge who delivered the judgment but also amounting to interference in the judicial system. The said statements have been made deliberately with a view to discredit the integrity of the Judge who gave the judgment and also the judicial system in our country”, they added.

They said by giving statements, the political leaders had exceeded their limits by leveling allegations against the judge and judiciary and also interfered in the judicial process. “It is prerogative of a judge to decide a case in a particular manner based on the material available before him and in accordance with law. The political leaders, in the guise of discussing the verdict have gone to the extent of saying that the judgment was a suspicious one. By saying so, they had defamed the judicial system, the judge of the Karnataka high court”, the advocates said.