Tamil Nadu: Annamalai sends Rs 1 crore legal notice to Bharathi in illicit liquor case

CHENNAI: BJP state president K Annamalai has shot off a legal notice to DMK’s organisation secretary RS Bharathi seeking Rs 1 crore for allegedly tarnishing his reputation with regard to Kallakurichi hooch tragedy. In the letter, Annamalai said Bharathi is making baseless allegations and that the Rs 1 crore he gets as compensation would be spent for setting up a de-addiction centre at Karunapuram.

The notice, issued through advocate RC Paul Kanagaraj, said the DMK leader had recklessly blamed Annamalai for the hooch tragedy and made statements like ‘It is Annamalai’s planned conspiracy’. “This disparaging, false, concocted and incorrect statement will lower his dignity and harm his prestige in the eyes of the public,” the notice said.

Stating that Annamalai has spent decades in public life and community service, thereby built an immense reputation, the notice said making false and malicious remarks before the media reveal ‘motive for defaming and slandering’ his image and political journey.

All the allegations are per se defamatory in nature and caused Annamalai to suffer mental agony. Such statements are made with a criminal intent to vilify his image and social reputation and with ulterior motive and wrongful intent to malign and tarnish his image, the notice added.

‘Statement made with criminal intent’

Such statements are made with a criminal intent to vilify his image and social reputation and with ulterior motive and wrongful intent to malign and tarnish his image, the legal notice said.