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The Madras High Court has recently intervened in the defamation case filed against K Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The court, presided over by Justice G Jayachandran, has temporarily halted all proceedings in response to a stay order, and notice has been issued to the complainant, V Piyush. The court's decision was influenced by Piyush's failure to establish a valid legal standing in the case.

In an interim order dated November 29, the High Court observed a lack of substantial evidence in Piyush's complaint. Despite the absence of compelling material, the trial court had initiated proceedings and issued summons to Annamalai. The High Court emphasized that a prima facie case existed to quash the complaint, highlighting the petitioner's inability to demonstrate a valid legal basis. Consequently, all further proceedings have been temporarily suspended.

On November 28 of this year, Piyush, self-identified as a social activist, filed a private complaint with the Salem judicial magistrate’s court. The complaint sought legal action against Annamalai, alleging that he had made threatening and provocative statements during a public speech. Piyush claimed that Annamalai, in this speech, referenced an unverified incident from 1956 involving U Muthuramalinga Thevar, the then Forward Bloc leader. According to Piyush, Annamalai fabricated comments attributed to Thevar, falsely suggesting a warning to Justice Party leaders about speaking on Hinduism. Piyush contended that Thevar never made such statements, accusing Annamalai of concocting them.

Case Title: K. Annamalai v. V Piyush