The Madras High Court has upheld a compensation award exceeding ₹10 lakh in favor of veteran actress Sukanya in a defamation case that traces back nearly three decades. The dispute arose from the telecast of an interview featuring forest brigand Veerappan, in which allegedly defamatory remarks concerning the actress were aired. The court dismissed an appeal filed by Sun TV Network and affirmed the earlier trial court order that awarded damages to the actress.
In its judgment, the High Court observed that the broadcaster had editorial authority over the program and therefore carried responsibility for verifying the content before telecast. The court noted that the channel had the ability to edit or remove objectionable portions but failed to take adequate steps to verify the allegations before airing them. The ruling reinforces the principle that media organizations must exercise due diligence when publishing potentially reputation-damaging content.
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