The Madras High Court in an interim order today restrained a Tamil Daily from publishing any kind of article on the personal life of state minister Natham S.Viswanathan.
Justice K K Sasidharan, before whom the interim application filed by the minister came up, said in his order that "there shall be an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from publishing any kind of articles with respect to the personal life of applicant without clear verification."
"It is made clear that the above order will not prevent the respondents from publishing articles with respect to the public life of the applicant who is stated to be a minister."
The judge then issued a notice to the Tamil daily returnable by July 7.
According to the minister, the daily had carried a news item in its issue dated April 25 last which was "totally scandalous and defamatory."
He said it was published at a crucial time when the state is going to the assembly polls with a view to demoralizing him.
He sought a direction to pay Rs 30 lakh as damages and to restrain the daily from publishing any defamatory or derogatory statements about him.
