Principal Sessions Judge N Audhinathan directed Karunanidhi to appear before the court on January 18 next in connection with his alleged defamatory article published in the party mouthpiece "Murasoli" last month about the AIADMK government's four-year rule.
The court summoned Murasoli's Editor, Printer and Publisher S Selvam to appear on the same day.
Passing orders on another defamation complaint by Jayalalithaa, the Judge summoned Editor of Tamil magazine "Ananda Vikatan" R Kannan and its Printer Madhavan over an article allegedly "maligning" the Chief Minister that was published in its issue dated November 21-27.