Sun TV ordered to pay Rs 10 lakh to Sukanya for defamation: Court upholds verdict over 30-year-old Veerappan interview

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered Sun TV Network to pay Rs 10 lakh in damages to actor Sukanya in a defamation case stemming from an interview broadcast nearly three decades ago. The ruling upholds a lower court verdict regarding an interview with the late forest brigand Veerappan, which aired on Sun TV in 1996 and contained derogatory remarks against the actor.

The controversial segment was part of an interview conducted by Nakkeeran Gopal, during which Veerappan made defamatory statements linking Sukanya to a relative of a prominent politician. Sun TV broadcast the footage without editing out the offensive remarks. Consequently, the actor approached a civil court seeking Rs 10,00,500 in damages, naming Sun TV, Gopal, and Veerappan as respondents.

Sun TV argued in court that the opinions expressed were solely those of Veerappan and that a disclaimer had been aired before the broadcast to absolve the network of responsibility. The network further contended that it expressed regret as soon as the matter came to light and never re-aired the interview. Gopal also submitted that there was no intention to demean the actor.

The High Court rejected these arguments, noting that Sun TV possessed the absolute right to edit the content under its broadcasting agreement. The court observed that the network was fully aware of the defamatory nature of the content and deemed the failure to remove it as malicious. Sun TV had approached the High Court to challenge the lower court's decree, which has now been upheld with a directive to pay compensation.