Stalin Tells Madras High Court He Is Not Liable for Every DMK Wing's Social Media Post in Minister's Defamation Suit

DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has told the Madras High Court that he cannot be held legally liable for every post published through the social media accounts of the party's various wings and functionaries merely because he is the president of the DMK.

The submission was made in a counter affidavit opposing applications for interim relief in a Rs 1 crore defamation suit filed by Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna, a TVK leader. Stalin's senior counsel P. Wilson had earlier sought time until Monday, September 21, to file the counter affidavit.

Stalin submitted that although he heads the party and exercises administrative control over the office bearers of its wings, he could not be held responsible for the individual acts of members or wings of the party.

The suit arises from a post published on June 8, 2026 through the official account of the DMK Information Technology Wing on the social media platform X, which the Minister said linked him to a person accused in a Rs 258-crore drug trafficking case.

In the counter affidavit, Stalin also relied on a March 2026 speech in which, he said, Arjuna had twice referred to him as a "foolish Chief Minister", and argued that since the disputed post had already been removed and was no longer available online, the application seeking its removal had become infructuous.