In a significant judgment delivered nearly three decades after the controversy began, the Madras High Court has upheld a compensation award in favour of actress Sukanya, directing Sun TV Network to pay ₹10 lakh in damages for airing defamatory allegations made against her by notorious forest brigand Veerappan during a 1996 television interview.
Justice K. Kumaresh Babu dismissed an appeal filed by Sun TV Network against an earlier decree passed by a Chennai civil court. The court held that the television channel failed to exercise due diligence and was responsible for broadcasting unverified and scandalous allegations that harmed the actress’s reputation.
The controversy dates back to 1996 when journalist Nakheeran R. Gopal interviewed Veerappan. During the interview, the forest brigand allegedly made defamatory remarks about Sukanya. The interview was later telecast by Sun TV over multiple episodes.
Sukanya subsequently filed a civil suit seeking ₹10 lakh in damages against Sun TV Network, journalist Nakheeran Gopal, and Veerappan. The case was later transferred to the Chennai City Civil Court in 2011 due to jurisdictional reasons.
During the proceedings, Sun TV argued that it had no intention to defame anyone and had merely telecast the interview provided by the journalist. However, Nakheeran Gopal informed the court that the channel had complete authority to edit, modify, or remove any portion of the footage before broadcasting it.
The court noted that although approximately nine hours of footage had been handed over, only selected portions were aired over several days. This demonstrated that the channel had exercised editorial control and therefore bore responsibility for the content broadcast.
Justice Kumaresh Babu further observed that Sun TV had expressed regret regarding the telecast only through a Tamil magazine after receiving a legal notice and not through the television channel where the allegations were originally aired. The court viewed this as evidence of malice and negligence.
Finding no reason to interfere with the lower court’s verdict, the High Court upheld the compensation award and reaffirmed that media organisations must verify serious allegations before broadcasting them, particularly when they concern an individual’s reputation.
The ruling marks the conclusion of a legal battle that lasted nearly 30 years and is being seen as an important judgment on media accountability and defamation law in India.