Kannur, July 26:
The Kannur Rural Cyber Crime Police have registered a criminal case against eight media organisations and several online platforms following a complaint by senior CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi, who alleged that false reports linking her to an illegal family pension claim had seriously damaged her reputation.
Sreemathi, 76, a member of the CPI(M) Central Committee, approached the police after a series of reports published between July 10 and July 18 claimed that she had been drawing a family pension by falsely presenting herself as the widow of former Kunnamkulam MLA P.R. Krishnan. Rejecting the allegation, she clarified that the pension beneficiary was another woman, P.K. Sreemathy, the wife of the late MLA, and that the reports had wrongly identified her.
Based on her complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming Janam TV, Janmabhoomi, Karma News, Bharat Live, Kannur-based evening daily Sudinam, Dailyhunt and several YouTube channels and online platforms that allegedly published or amplified the disputed content.
According to the complaint, the reports were circulated widely through multiple digital platforms, creating confusion among the public and causing serious harm to her personal and political image. Sreemathi alleged that the publications were part of a coordinated effort to tarnish her reputation by spreading false and misleading information.
The FIR states that Sudinam carried the report on July 18, while similar reports had appeared earlier on other platforms, including Janam TV and Janmabhoomi. Investigators will examine how the information originated, the extent of its circulation and the role played by each accused platform in disseminating the content.
Police have registered the case under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act. The cyber crime police have begun a detailed investigation to determine whether the alleged misinformation was intentionally created and circulated with the objective of defaming the veteran CPI(M) leader.
