In a recent development, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the DMK youth wing secretary and Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare, responded to an application filed by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami seeking to restrain him from making defamatory allegations. Stalin asserted that his statements linking Palaniswami to the 2017 Kodanad estate heist-cum-murder case were solely based on media reports.In a counter affidavit, Udhayanidhi Stalin invoked the defence of justification, claiming that he believed the allegations to be true due to numerous media reports. He argued that the role of Palaniswami in the Kodanad murder-robbery case had been extensively covered in the media, making it a legitimate basis for his statements.
He emphasised that the connection between Palaniswami and the Kodanad case had been widely reported, discussed, and deliberated in various news articles. He maintained that the statements he made were founded on tangible resources connecting Palaniswami to the case, asserting that they constituted reasonable verification in line with the standards set by the court and the Supreme Court.Hiss counter affidavit stated, “It is apparent that there are tangible resources connecting the applicant with the Kodanad murder-robbery case, and the statements made by the respondent are on that strength, constituting reasonable verification in line with the standards prescribed by this honourable court as well as the Supreme Court.”