The Madras High Court on Monday issued notice to AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) in a civil defamation suit filed by former AIADMK MP K C Palanisamy. The suit seeks to restrain EPS from making or circulating alleged false and defamatory statements against Palanisamy and also demands ₹1 crore in compensation for reputational damage.
Justice P Dhanapal also ordered notice to P Kandavel, the AIADMK Sulur Union Secretary, Coimbatore, who is arrayed as a co-defendant in the suit. The matter has been posted for further hearing on February 13, 2026.
In his pleadings, K C Palanisamy has accused EPS and Kandavel of conspiring to lodge a false police complaint against him during Palaniswami’s tenure as Chief Minister. The complaint, filed on January 24, 2020, at Sulur Police Station, reportedly alleged that Palanisamy had been expelled from the party by the late J Jayalalithaa for misusing his association with the AIADMK for personal gain.
Palanisamy was arrested based on the FIR and spent 19 days in custody before securing bail on February 11, 2020.
Palanisamy informed the court that the Madras High Court had already quashed the FIR on August 16, 2024, upon his petition. He contends that the complaint was baseless and politically motivated, intended to defame him in the eyes of the public.
The former MP claims that the entire episode was the result of a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by EPS and Kandavel, and that it had severely impacted his reputation and caused mental agony. Accordingly, he has sought a permanent injunction against the AIADMK leader from publishing or propagating further defamatory material against him, and monetary damages of ₹1 crore.
