The tussle between two Hindraf factions has escalated into a legal battle with the filing of a RM100 million suit by the movement's chairperson-in-exile P Waytha Moorthy against four individuals and six news organisations.
In his statement of claim, Waytha Moorthy said the six news organisations carried statements of the four individuals who had alleged that he misappropriated public donations for Hindraf.
The four individuals are Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, Sungkai state assemblyperson A Sivanesan, and two former ISA detainees V Ganabatirau and K Vasantha Kumar.
The six news organisations named as defendants are English daily The Star, online news portals Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider, and three Tamil dailies Makkal Osai, Tamil Nesan and Malaysia Nanban.
Exiled self-proclaimed Hindraf leader P. Waytha Moorthy has filed lawsuits totalling RM100 million against 10 people and organisations over claims that he mismanaged the outlawed organisation’s funds.
His brother, lawyer P. Uthayakumar, filed the suit on his behalf against Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr Ramasamy Palanisamy, Sungkai assemblyman Sivanesan Achalingam, Ganabatirau Veraman, ASP Vasantha Kumar Krishnan and six media organisation.
The media organisations are Makkal Osai, Tamil Nesan, Malaysia Nanban, Star Publications, M.Kini.Com (Malaysiakini) and The Malaysian Insider.
Uthayakumar explained that the suit was based on false allegations on the financial mismanagement in Hindraf published by the six media defendants.
“The media when they report, they cannot simply go around and report everything because it causes damage with far reaching consequences. So this is also a message to the press, just because somebody makes a statement you cannot go around publishing whatever you want,” he told reporters at the High Court here.
Uthayakumar also stressed that all 10 defendants cannot repeat the statement on the mishandling of funds by Waytha.
“They cannot publish or repeat the libellous statement because a civil suit has been filed specifically with regards to the plaintiff allegedly cheated and misused money collected from the Indian community,” he added.
Dr Ramasamy, Sivanesan, Ganabatirau and Vasantha are being sued for allegedly making false and incriminating accusation against the plantiff through the the six media organisation.
In his statement of claim, he said that Dr Ramasamy had written and published an article with false information defaming him in the Makkal Osai newspaper dated Aug 11, headlined Di mana wang RM700,000 yang telah dikutip, tunjukkan akaunnya, Dr Ramasamy mencabar Waytha Moorthy (“Where is the RM700,000 collected, show us the accounts, Dr Ramasamy challenges Waytha Moorthy”).
He also claimed that Sivanesan, Ganabatiau and Vasantha Kumar defamed him in several articles published in the Makkal Osai, The Star, Malaysia Nanban, Tamil Nesan and news portals The Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini in July and August.
The four had used the six media to defame and tarnish his good name as the Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) chairman, he said.
He added that the alleged defamatory words gave the meaning that he was a Hindraf leader without integrity and had cheated the Indian community of its money for the purpose of filing a civil suit agaisnt the British government in London.
He is seeking RM10mil in damages from each defendant, aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain them from continuing to publish similar demafatory articles against him.
He also seeks several other court orders, including an injunction to restrain the four individuals from making any press statement on Hindraf
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