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Tamil Nadu Minister for Natural Resources TK Prabhu has filed a Rs 1 crore defamation case in the Madras High Court against YouTuber M Maridhas, accusing him of making false and defamatory allegations of corruption against him. Prabhu has also made Google LLC, YouTube India and X Corporation parties to the case.
Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi on Monday, September 21, directed the court registry to formally register the case and list it for hearing.
Prabhu, who represents the Karaikudi Assembly constituency for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was later inducted into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet as the Minister in charge of mines and minerals.
In his complaint, Prabhu alleged that Maridhas had published videos on his YouTube channel and shared them on X, making “false, baseless and defamatory” allegations of corruption and other illegal activities against him.
The Minister said that the allegations were completely untrue and submitted links to the videos and social media posts that he alleged were defamatory.
Prabhu has sought Rs 1 crore in damages, along with 12% annual interest from the date of filing the case until the amount is paid. He has also sought directions to the social media platforms to remove the content, which he claimed were defamatory.
The Minister, a dentist by qualification, said he was born and brought up in Karaikudi and was known among people in his constituency for his “integrity, ethical conduct, probity, uprightness, straightforwardness and responsible public service.”
He alleged that the posts had damaged his reputation and sought compensation for emotional distress, mental agony, professional harm, and violation of his dignity and privacy.
During Monday’s hearing, senior advocate PH Aravindh Pandian, appearing for Prabhu, argued that parts of the cause of action had arisen within the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court, allowing the minister to file the case there.
The lawyer also referred to three earlier court orders in which permission had been granted to parties to pursue similar defamation cases over allegedly false and defamatory statements made on social media.
