After nearly three decades,the Madras High Court has ruled in favor of actor R. Sukanya,ordering the Sun TV Network to pay ₹10 lakh in damages for airing defamatory remarks made by notorious forest brigand Veerappan during 1996 interview. The court found that network failed to take necessary precautions to verify the interview's content before broadcasting it.
Justice K. Kumaresh Babu dismissed an appeal from Sun TV challenging 2015 ruling by a city civil court in Chennai that had already favored Sukanya. judge emphasized that the network had acted with malice by not editing out scandalous allegations against her. He noted that television channel should have exercised its right to modify the interview,which was conducted by journalist Nakheeran R. Gopal.
Sukanya, who gained fame for her role opposite Kamal Haasan in the 1996 film Indian, initially filed her civil suit in 1996, seeking compensation for the damage to her reputation . case was later transferred to the city civil court due to jurisdictional issues. During the trial,Sun TV argued that it had no intent to defame and claimed that Gopal had approached them to air the interview.
Gopal, however, testified that under their agreement, Sun TV had the authority to edit any part of footage . He explained that he provided nine hours of material,but the network only broadcast four hours over eight days, with each segment lasting about 30 minutes . Despite this,the court found that Sun TV did not take adequate steps to verify the interview's content.
In its earlier ruling, city civil court had ordered the network to pay Sukanya ₹10 lakh in damages, a decision that Justice Babu upheld. He pointed out that the network had expressed regret in Tamil magazine after receiving legal notice from Sukanya,but failed to do so through its own channel where the interview was aired. This, judge noted, indicated malice on the part of the television network.
The ruling serves as significant reminder of the responsibilities media organizations hold in ensuring accuracy and integrity of the content they broadcast. The long-awaited judgment brings closure to Sukanya's lengthy legal battle, affirming her right to seek redress for the harm caused by unverified allegations.
