Chennai, Jan 21 (BPNS)

Madras High Court on Thursday restrained filmmaker and social activist, Leena Manimekalai and singer Chinmayi Sripada from making defamatory statements against Tamil film director, Susi Ganesan.

This has brought in a major reprieve for the beleaguered director who was charged with rape allegations by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai during the ‘Me Too’ movement.

The single bench of the Madras High Court represented by Justice Abdul Qudhoose also restrained certain social media platforms and online news portals from uploading any content pertaining to the allegations made by Manimekalai against Ganesan.

The court also said that both Manimekalai and Ganesan were injuncted from going to the press as the matter was sub judice.

The interim order was passed by the Madras High Court following a suit filed by Susi Ganesan seeking 1.10 crore as compensation to him from filmmaker Leena Manimekalai and singer Chinmayi for making defamatory statements against him.

Susi Ganesan alleged that Leena Manimekalai had raised an allegation in 2017 that she was subjected to sexual harassment in 2005 recounting an incident without naming anyone.

The Tamil movie director in the petition said that Manimekalai after inspiration from Chinmayi had publicly 2018 stated that it was he who was the person against whom she had raised the allegation. He said that this was a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image after a much thought out strategy at the insistence of the singer Chinmayi Sripada and that he wanted the court to restrain the duo from defaming him and to award him a compensation of Rs 1.10 crore as damages already inflicted on him and his family on a false allegation.