The Madras High Court has upheld a trial court order directing Sun TV Network to pay around Rs 10.01 lakh in compensation to actress R Sukanya in a defamation case related to a 1996 televised interview of forest brigand Veerappan.
The case arose after Veerappan, during Sun TV's programme Nerukku Ner, allegedly made false and defamatory remarks about the actress, damaging her reputation. Sukanya later filed a civil suit seeking damages, alleging harm to her dignity, public image and career prospects, as per a report.
A trial court in 2015 ruled in her favour, awarding Rs 10,00,500 in damages and restraining further telecast of the defamatory content. Sun TV challenged the verdict, arguing it had merely broadcast an interview recorded by a third party and was not responsible for Veerappan's statements.
However, the High Court rejected this defence, holding that Sun TV had full editorial control over the programme and failed to exercise due diligence before airing the interview. The court observed that the channel had the authority to edit or remove defamatory portions but chose not to do so.
It further noted that Sun TV's apology was not aired on its own platform but published in a third-party magazine, which did not adequately reach viewers of the original broadcast.
Upholding the trial court's findings, the High Court ruled that the broadcaster was liable for defamation and confirmed the compensation award, bringing a nearly three-decade-long legal battle to a close.
In its defence, Sun TV denied the allegations, maintaining it only broadcasted the interview after being approached by Gopal to telecast the footage. For his part, Gopal contended that his sole objective was to investigate Veerappan's illegal activities, asserting that he lacked any malicious intent to defame.
However, the trial court rejected the arguments put forward by both Sun TV and Gopal regarding the actress's public standing and financial harm. Finding them liable, the lower court ordered Sun TV to pay damages to the actress, a verdict that triggered the current appeal.
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