Aishwarya Dhanush sues Ashram school landlord for libel

Chennai: Aishwarya Dhanush, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth and secretary of Sree Raghavendra Educational Society, which runs Ashram Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Guindy, has approached Madras high court to restrain Ch.Venkateswaralu and his children from interfering with the peaceful possession and enjoyment of the property and the running of the school.

The suit filed by Aishwarya, which also sought Rs 5 crore as damages from Venkateswaralu and his children for allegedly damaging the reputation and goodwill of the school and the society and another Rs 1 crore as compensation for the tortuous act of trespass, will come up for hearing before Justice C.V. Karthikeyan on August 22.

Petitioner’s counsel T.T. Ravichandran submitted that the society was running the school on the property leased out by its owner Venkateswaralu. The school was paying rent regularly.

In 2014, Venkateswaralu filed a suit in 2014 against the society for recovery of rental arrears. While the suit was pending, they arrived at a settlement. But it could not be recorded before the court as once again Venkateswaralu claimed exorbitant enhanced rent to be paid as rental arrears. There were no rental arrears pending till the month of May 2017. The negotiations were still continuing and the compromise memo was yet to be signed and therefore, the rent could not be paid for the months of June and July 2017.

On August 15, Venkateswaralu and his men have locked the gates of school premises. When the school re-opened on August 16, the students were not able to attend the school and the society accommodated them in their school at Velacherry, he added.

In her suit, Aishwarya alleged that Venkateshwaralu obtained a letter from the senior principal (overseer) of the institution that the school would vacate the property on or before May 2018 and clear balance dues at the earliest. Also, he gave misleading and defamatory statements to the media that huge rent arrears are due from the school to him. He also gave an interview making scurrilous remarks against the founder chairman Latha Rajinikanth.