Chennai: The Raj Bhavan today said it will never be cowed down by actions aimed at “hurting the dignity of the high office” of the Governor.
In a strong statement close on the heels of the arrest and release of Nakkeeran editor R Gopal for publishing a defamatory article about Governor Banwarilal Purohit in the sex scandal involving assistant professor Nirmala Devi, it said every issue has its limits.
The Governor’s office had maintained a dignified silence for more than six months since the problem came to light as the law was taking its course and the matter was under investigation and subsequently placed before the court for trial, it said.
The release added that the allegations made against the Governor were absolute falsehood and not a shred of truthfulness was there in the issue concerning Nirmala Devi.
“The statement given by her before the police will itself bear out the truth. This being the case, it is a matter of humour to hear people say that press freedom is being threatened on the count, of action, being taken under the law after much patience and tolerance to stop a slanderous, vulgar and cowardly way of attacking the first citizen of the State,” the statement added.
The Raj Bhavan said Nirmala Devi has never entered the Raj Bhavan in the last one year and she does not have any acquaintance with the Governor or his Secretary or any of the officers working in the Raj Bhavan.
“In Madurai, the Governor never visited the university guest house when he was invited there for the Mother Teresa University Convocation which was being held in Madurai Kamaraj University. He has at no point of time stayed in the guest house. The Secretary to the Governor did not even accompany him on any visit to the Madurai Kamaraj University,” the release said.
The statement further hit out at yellow journalism, and said, “It was indeed shocking to see a resurfacing of yellow journalism in an issue of the magazine Nakkeeran in late September after the chargesheets had been filed and all investigation completed. Those who claim to be engaged in investigative journalism have not even bothered to verify the actual statement given by Nirmala Devi before the police. The height of casualness and cowardice in journalistic ethics had been reached with the publishing of the article.”